In a swift and sensitive operation, the Navi Mumbai Police Crime Branch Unit II arrested Aman Iqbal Kondkar (23) for abandoning his two-day-old daughter on a roadside in Taka Colony, Panvel. The arrest came within 24 hours of the incident, thanks to technical surveillance and diligent police work.
The newborn was discovered on June 28, lying in the open near Swapanalaya Girls Orphanage. The Panvel City Police immediately rescued the infant and registered a case under Section 93 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against an unknown person.
Realising the seriousness of the case, Commissioner of Police Milind Bharambe, along with ACP (Crime) Deepak Sakore and DCP Amit Kale, assigned Crime Branch Unit II to lead a parallel investigation.
Despite a lack of witnesses or direct evidence, a team led by ACP Ajaykumar Landge, Senior Inspector Umesh Gawali, and PSI Abhaysingh used CCTV footage to identify a suspicious vehicle near the scene. The trail led them to Bhiwandi, where Kondkar was located and apprehended.
A qualified engineer, currently unemployed, Kondkar confessed to the crime, citing social stigma and fear of judgment due to the child being born out of wedlock. He admitted to leaving the infant near the orphanage, hoping someone would care for her.
The biological mother, aged 24, has not yet been arrested, and further investigation is ongoing.
