Overview

• The girl was abducted around 1 p.m. Tuesday from near her home at Rameshwadi in Badlapur (West) and lured away with chocolates by 26-year-old Ranjeet Dhurve.
• Rickshaw driver Yogesh Chonkar grew suspicious over the child’s distress and discreetly photographed the pair before alerting authorities.
• Thane Police analyzed CCTV footage and used technical surveillance alongside Madhya Pradesh forces to trace the girl to Chhindwara within 24 hours.
• After a medical examination and counselling by a child welfare team, the unharmed child was reunited with her family.
• Dhurve has been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the POCSO Act and remanded to police custody as investigators probe his motive and past links.