Six-Month Search Ends with Emotional Reunion
In a remarkable turn of events that spanned six months and multiple states, a four-year-old girl who was kidnapped from Mumbai's bustling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) has been safely reunited with her family. The breakthrough came when a vigilant journalist in Varanasi noticed a Marathi-speaking child in a local orphanage and alerted authorities.
The Disturbing Abduction and Investigation
The harrowing incident dates back to May 20, 2025, when the young girl was allegedly abducted by an unidentified person from CSMT railway station. According to police reports, the child's parents had traveled from Solapur to Mumbai for her father's medical treatment at St. George's Hospital and were temporarily staying on the CSMT premises when the tragedy struck.
Following the abduction, the MRA Marg police station registered a kidnapping case and launched an intensive investigation. The probe revealed that the accused had taken the girl from CSMT to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus using local trains before boarding an express train to Varanasi.
Police formed four special teams dedicated to solving the case. Over several months, officers meticulously scanned CCTV footage from major railway stations along the Mumbai-Varanasi route. In coordination with Varanasi police, missing posters featuring the girl's photograph were widely circulated across the region.
The Crucial Tip-Off and Rescue Operation
The case took a dramatic turn when Mumbai Police received a crucial call from a Varanasi-based journalist who had seen the missing poster. The journalist informed authorities about an orphanage in Varanasi that had been sheltering a young girl who only spoke Marathi and had been there since June.
Acting on this vital information, the MRA Marg police immediately visited the facility. After verifying the details, they confirmed that the girl at the orphanage was indeed the same child who had been abducted from CSMT six months earlier.
On November 12, 2025, the police completed all legal formalities and took custody of the child. Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Mundhe stated, "Her parents identified her via video call, after which she was brought back to Mumbai and reunited with her family."
The successful resolution of this case highlights the importance of inter-state police cooperation and public vigilance in solving complex missing children cases. The emotional reunion brought closure to a traumatic chapter for the family that began during what was already a difficult time of medical treatment in an unfamiliar city.
