Mumbai, 11 March
Police have rescued a 38-day-old baby boy, who was kidnapped from Mumbai's Goregaon (East) area by a four-member gang with the purpose to sell him, officials said on Tuesday.

The four members of the gang, including two women, were placed under arrest, an official said.

On March 2, a couple which sells blankets on the Western Express Highway, approached the Vanrai Police Station with a complaint that their 38-day-old son was missing. The couple had missed their train to Vasai in adjoining Palghar and slept on the roadside from where the baby went missing, the official said.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered against unidentified persons. Kidnapping angle emerged during the probe following which special teams were formed to nab the culprits, he said.

Police examined almost 11,000 auto-rickshaws and questioned their drivers as they had information that the accused had travelled in a similar vehicle. Their efforts paid off when they zeroed on a man linked to the kidnapping and apprehended him in Malad (West), according to the official.

The accused person then provided information about the kidnapped baby, leading to his rescue. Later, other accused were also arrested. The gang members told the police they were planning to sell the abducted baby, he said.

A probe was underway.