Mumbai:
A 20-year-old youth has claimed he escaped from the clutches of the beggar mafia who allegedly kidnapped him nearly three weeks ago.
Bablu Singh, a carpenter by profession, said he was kidnapped from Byculla on July 14 where he was befriended by some people who promised to drop him home. They instead took him to a sweet shop in Andheri where he was tortured and maimed, Bablu said.
"As soon as I got down at Byculla station, three-four men came to me and took me to a car - an Omni. They then blindfolded me and took me to a deserted place. When I reached there I saw many more children," said Bablu, a resident of Kalyan.
He also said that his kidnappers branded him with iron rods and threatened that if he did not beg, he won't be allowed to go home.
Bablu said he and three other children managed to escape the clutches of his captors four days later. "The people who kept guard there, went for a drink. At that time, we managed to escape," he said.
Bablu is still trying to recover from the trauma and claims over two dozen children are still in the captivity of those men.
The police have registered a case of kidnapping and torture and are investigating. The abductors have not been identified yet.