Six police teams were formed to track down the child and her alleged kidnapper.

The Mumbai police have managed to rescue a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly kidnapped, within 48 hours after she was reported missing on Wednesday. Officers have also arrested the accused with the help of the Government Railway Police. He is being interrogated to determine his intentions.

The girl’s 35-year-old mother is the complainant in the case, while her father does scavenging work. For the past one year, the child and her parents have been staying at the house of her father’s friend.

According to the police, the girl’s father left the house for work on Wednesday, but his friend stayed back as he was unwell. Around 11 am, the five-year-old started crying for a lollipop and the man took her out to get one.

In the afternoon, when the girl’s father came home for lunch, his wife informed him that the two had not returned. The couple later approached the police and filed a kidnapping case, officers said. Soon, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Paramjit Singh Dahiya and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 9) Krishnakant Upadhyay instructed to form six teams to track down the child and her alleged kidnapper.

One of the teams found Ajay’s employer and relatives and obtained his mobile number which they used to determine his whereabouts. While checking CCTV footage from the area, officers spotted the man with the child on Friday. With the help of more CCTV footage from the railway station and through technical investigation, the railway police traced the two later that day and handed them over to the local police, a police source said. The girl was medically examined before being reunited with her family.

The accused has been arrested under section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code.