By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | January 19, 2026 05:33 AM IST 3 min readThe child went missing on January 12 from Minerva Cinema Road, where her father, Mujaffar Ali, runs a shop.A three-year-old girl, who was kidnapped last week near her father’s shop in Old Delhi’s Kashmere Gate, was rescued on Saturday with the arrest of three people, said police. Feeds of around 400 CCTV cameras were scanned and locals in several areas were questioned to trace the accused, officers added. Two minors, aged 7 and 10, who were allegedly forced into begging by the accused were also rescued along with the 3-year-old.The accused have been identified as Nazeema (52), her husband Anis (52), and their son-in-law Shamshad Alam (26), all residents of Seelampur in East Delhi and natives of Kishanganj in Bihar. They allegedly planned to traffic the toddler to Nepal, a move that was foiled due to sustained surveillance and ground operations, according to police. During questioning, they allegedly told police that they kidnapped the child after spotting her alone near the railway station. They also allegedly told police that they considered selling the child either to a childless couple, or a begging syndicate.The child went missing on January 12 from Minerva Cinema Road, where her father, Mujaffar Ali, runs a shop. Police said Ali, a resident of Sunder Nagari, had been bringing his daughter to work after his wife’s death a few months back. Around 6:30 pm, Ali told police, the child disappeared from near the shop. He then registered a kidnapping case at the Kashmere Gate police station.“The team immediately commenced intensive and systematic analysis of CCTV footage in and around the place of occurrence. CCTV footage revealed that the child was lured away by another minor girl, aged about 6-7 years, towards the Old Delhi Railway Station. Further scrutiny of CCTV footage at the railway station showed that the minor handed over the victim to the accused. Thereafter, the accused disappeared into the heavy crowd at the railway station,” said DCP North Raja Banthia.With no immediate leads, police expanded the search by deploying teams consisting of approximately 100 police personnel across Old Delhi Railway Station and nearby stations, including Subzi Mandi, Shahdara and Sahibabad. Feeds from around 400 CCTV cameras installed at railway premises and along surrounding roads were scanned.A breakthrough came when the suspects were briefly spotted in footage showing them travelling in an e-rickshaw from the Old Iron Bridge side.Teams tracked the suspected movement over a 12-km stretch and conducted discreet local inquiries in the Welcome area, deploying officers overnight to gather human intelligence.Story continues below this adOn Saturday, the child was traced near Hanuman Mandir in Yamuna Bazar and rescued. The child has been reunited with her family.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:delhi