Guwahati, Feb 12: City police have rescued an 18-month-old infant within a few hours after the female child was abducted from near the Khanapara flyover here on Sunday afternoon, and arrested three persons in connection with the crime.
The arrested persons have been identified as Biswajit Das alias Sameer Dey (30), his wife, Sabita Dey (28) and Jelimon Begum (28), all residents of Lal Ganesh area here.
According to police sources, Ashok Shah (28), the father of the abducted infant and a resident of Koinadhora, Khanapara had filed an FIR on Sunday afternoon, informing that his 18-month-old daughter was abducted by an unknown person who used to frequently visit his tea stall at Khanapara.
Shah had mentioned in the FIR that the suspect, later identified as Biswajit Das alias Sameer Dey, had previously inquired about the availability of rental rooms in the vicinity and provided his phone number to the complainant.
“On the basis of the FIR, a case was registered at Dispur police station (vide case number 118/2024, under Section 365 of IPC), and a police team from Guwahati East district immediately swung into action to recover the missing child on Sunday night,” police sources said on Monday.
Investigation revealed that the suspect, Biswajit Das alias Sameer Dey, developed a friendly acquaintance with the complainant, his wife and their daughter (abducted child) by frequently visiting their tea stall at Khanapara.
“Based on technical analysis and intelligence inputs, the suspects were picked up by a police team. On spot interrogation, the suspects revealed they had kept the child in the custody of a woman named Jelimon Begum, at her rented house in Lal Ganesh under Fatasil Ambari police station. Thereafter, the missing child was located in the possession of Jelimon Begum during a raid at her residence and rescued by the police team led by ACP, Dispur around 11:15 pm on Sunday,” police said.
The investigation further revealed that Sabita Dey maintained friendship with Jelimon Begum who is a professional egg donor of an IVF clinic in Guwahati.
“Jelimon came in contact with an agent who offered her to act as a surrogate mother in Hyderabad. She went to Hyderabad as facilitated by the agent but her surrogacy failed as she didn’t conceive. In Hyderabad, she was introduced to another person (originally from Assam) who in turn introduced her to an agency run by a person from Hyderabad which provides children to childless couples for adoption,” police said.
“The agent in Hyderabad tasked Jelimon with finding children in Assam, whose parents are not in a position to raise them, for adoption by childless couples, for which Jelimon was promised a handsome amount of money. Accordingly, Jelimon, after returning to Assam a few months back, informed Sabita Dey and Biswajit Das, a mobile repairing mechanic, to look for such children who can be given to the agents in Hyderabad,” police said.
Thereafter, the investigation revealed that Biswajit Das, who claimed to be in debt, orchestrated a plan to abduct the infant from Ashok Shah’s tea stall in Khanapara, taking the help of one Niki Boro, a tea preparer at the stall.
“Niki Boro however does not have any connivance in this abduction plan. She is a drug addict who keeps wandering in and around the Khanapara area. Since she also stays in the tea stall, and at times, plays with the abducted girl child, the accused (Biswajit Das) hatched a plan to use her for taking the girl child from the possession of her parents,” police said.
“Accordingly, Biswajit Das asked Niki to bring the child for a ride. Niki, not knowing the intention of the accused, took the child from the shop and handed over the child to the accused. Once the child was in the possession of Biswajit Das, he took her to the Fatasil Ambari area and with the help of his wife, handed over the child to Jelimon Begum,” police said.
Notably, Jelimon Begum confessed to devising a plot to procure a child from Assam and transport the infant to her agent in Hyderabad. She also confessed to her collaboration with the accused and his wife in executing the plan for money.