VALPOI
A massive manhunt by 12 police teams for a woman who had allegedly abducted a one-month-old infant at the GMC hospital complex on Friday led to the location of the baby at a house in Saleli-Sattari on Saturday evening.
The woman, Vishranti Gawas (32) of Saleli, has been arrested in this connection, while the baby is reported to be safe and has been handed over to the mother.
News that audacious abduction of the baby at the GMC complex in broad daylight had shocked the State and various police stations were involved in investigations to trace the accused and the missing baby.
As soon as the baby was reported to have been abducted, Agassaim police traced the motorcycle pilot who informed that he had dropped the woman at the Panaji bus stand.
The woman then went inside the bus stand and later took another motorcycle pilot from the bus stand.
The motorcycle pilot at the bus stand informed the police that he dropped the woman at Teen Building, Porvorim, from where she boarded a bus.
Police obtained CCTV footage and photos at different places, which provided some details about the woman, who had been on the move.
Police then received information that the woman was sighted in Bicholim taluka.
In the meanwhile, North Goa SP Shobit Saxena and DySP Sandesh Chodankar formed various police teams, which included police inspectors from Valpoi, Bicholim and Mapusa, to locate the accused and the
missing baby.
Police found out that the woman had travelled on a two-wheeler from Mapusa and managed to locate the scooter rider.
The scooter rider told police that he had left her at Mulgao. Acting on this clue, police rushed to Mulgao and found out that the woman along with the infant had boarded a passenger bus to proceed to Valpoi.
Valpoi Police Inspector Sagar Ekoskar and his team along with the assistance of the Bicholim Police Inspector Mahesh Gadekar then swung into action.
The police traced the conductor of the passenger bus and inquiries revealed that the woman and the infant had alighted at the Saleli bus stop.
Police conducted extensive inquiries in various parts of aleli, before finally tracing Gawas and the baby in her house.
The woman was then taken into police custody at the Bicholim police station and she is alleged to have admitted having kidnapped the infant.
The infant’s mother was then taken to the Bicholim police station and she identified her baby.
Gawas was arrested on charges of abducting the infant and was sent for a medical checkup at the GMC hospital, before being transferred to the Agassaim police station for further investigation.
