Kidnapped in Mumbai, Rescued in Srinagar: Kashmir Flood Reunites 6-Year-Old With Her Family

Mumbai: Diwali seems to have arrived early at Lohar Chawl in Mumbai's Bandra (east). The homecoming of seven-year-old Megha has left not just her family but the entire neighborhood overwhelmed with joy.

Abducted from Bandra a year ago, the seven-year-old was taken to Srinagar and forced into begging. However, when the floods came last month, the kidnapper abandoned her at a Darsgah, a religious school, in Srinagar.

Speaking to NDTV from her home Megha said, "He kidnaps children. He used to beat me. He made me beg. I was crying and used to be scared."

Her grandfather Ramesh Thakur told NDTV, "She told me that the man kidnaps girls and sells them. She said he has sold two other girls in Delhi as well."

But for Megha, life will slowly return to normal. In her 8 ft x 8 ft house, she is already happy to share the space with her family. She plays with a toy cracker pistol and chats will her friends.

Megha's story could have easily been that of one of the thousands of girls who go missing every year and are never found. But this time there is a happy and miraculous ending because of two groups of people. An active and responsible citizenry in Jammu and Kashmir who took her in when she was abandoned and ACP Vasant Dhoble of the Mumbai police who led a team to reunite her with her family.

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A stickler for rules, sometimes archaic, Mr Dhoble's perseverance paid off in this case. With most cases of child trafficking remaining unsolved in the city, this one a pleasant departure for the Mumbai Police.