Nagpur: In a dramatic turn of events on May 13, Tuesday, a suspected kidnapping of a five-year-old girl from Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh turned out to be a misunderstanding caused by a family dispute. Swift coordination between Chhattisgarh and Nagpur Police helped resolve the case within hours, avoiding potential panic.
According to police sources, around 1:00 pm, Nagpur Police Control Room received a message from Chhattisgarh Police that a five-year-old girl had allegedly been kidnapped and was being taken toward Nagpur in a white car bearing registration number CG-04. The accused vehicle had reportedly broken through a barricade at the Deori border checkpoint between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and was heading toward Bhandara and Nagpur. Immediately, Gondia, Bhandara, and Highway Police were alerted and asked to trace the vehicle.
Upon receiving the alert, Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Ravinder Kumar Singal issued a city-wide alert. Multiple checkpoints were set up and CCTV footage was examined to trace the white car. Assistant Police Commissioner Narendra Hiware received intelligence that the vehicle was spotted in the Nandanvan and Sakkardara areas.
The car was located and brought to Sakkardara Police Station. During questioning, the driver, Sonu (name changed), and a woman identified as Saira (31, name changed), were asked about the missing girl. Saira explained that she was a resident of Dongargarh and had married in Nagpur 13 years ago. Due to ongoing disputes with her husband, who works in mobile repairing, she had returned to her maternal home in Dongargarh with her two daughters (aged 11 and 5) about a month ago. However, differences with her family led her to contact an acquaintance in Nagpur, who picked her up in the car the previous night.
Saira stated that she secretly left her home around noon on May 13 and was headed back to Nagpur. Her family, spotting the car leaving, mistakenly assumed that her five-year-old daughter had been kidnapped and followed her in another vehicle. In the chaos, the car broke through the inter-state checkpoint and reached Nagpur.
When asked about the missing girl, Saira informed the police that both of her daughters were at her mother’s house in Dongargarh. To verify this, ACP Hiware contacted Dongargarh Police Inspector Jitendra Verma, who confirmed that no kidnapping had been reported. Dongargarh Police visited Saira’s residence and found both girls safe with their grandmother.
Further inquiry by ACP Hiware revealed that the confusion stemmed from Saira’s relatives informing the police at the interstate check post that a five-year-old girl had been kidnapped. After confirming the facts, Nagpur Police concluded that no kidnapping had occurred. Saira was released and handed over to her relatives in Nagpur.
The operation was executed under the guidance of Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Ravinder Kumar Singal and Deputy Commissioner of Police Lohit Matani. The team included ACP Narendra Hivare, Senior PI Mukund Thakre, PSI Pravin Wakle, officer Sherkar, and their colleagues.
