Mumbai:
A 22-year-old man and his girlfriend were today arrested for allegedly kidnapping a seven-year-old boy and demanding a ransom of Rs five lakh for the release, police said.
The child was rescued within 24 hours of the abduction in suburban Kandivali.
According to police, Saeed Ali Choudhary was today picked up on suspicion and during interrogation, he confessed to have kidnapped his neighbour's child.
Choudhary wanted money for his girlfriend, who has a daughter and has left her husband, police said.
According to police, Choudhary, who is also married, made a phone call to Ramsagar Prajapathi, a resident of Gandhi Nagar area in Kandivali, at 9.30 pm yesterday and told him that his child Ajaykumar was kidnapped.
"Choudhary demanded Rs five lakh for the release of the child. Initially, Prajapathi did not take it seriously but when his child did not return home, he started searching for his son in the area but in vain. At about 3.30 AM today, Prajapathi complained to police," said N Pimple, senior inspector at Kandivali police station.
The investigators traced the owner of the SIM card by which the accused made the phone call. On enquiry, police learnt that the SIM card was taken from the owner by his friend Saeed.
Subsequently Saeed was nabbed, who admitted that he kidnapped the child and hid him at his girlfriend's house in Dahisar.
The boy was rescued from there safely and handed over to the parents, police said adding that, "Saeed wanted money to take care of Nafeesa and her five-year-daughter, as
Nafeesa's husband left her husband."