Nashik missing infant found safe after 3 days, abandoned in Yeola taluka
Synopsis
A three-day search ended in relief in Nashik as an eight-month-old girl, missing since 17 September, was found abandoned in Yeola taluka and medically cleared. But who left her there — and why — remains unanswered, keeping the investigation open.
Key Takeaways
An eight-month-old baby girl missing from Nashik since 17 September was found safe on 20 September 2026 near Vaibothi village, Yeola taluka .
The infant was identified by her mother and taken to Yeola Sub-District Hospital for a medical examination.
Police are investigating who brought the baby to Vaibothi and why she was abandoned; no arrests have been reported yet.
Separately, Odisha's 'Operation Anweshan' rescued 101 missing children — 54 boys and 47 girls — across 17 states and Union Territories .
The youngest child in the Odisha operation was a three-month-old ; one child had been away from home for over five years .
An eight-month-old baby girl who went missing from Nashik district in Maharashtra on 17 September 2026 was found safe on Sunday, 20 September, police confirmed. The infant was discovered abandoned near Vaibothi village in the neighbouring Yeola taluka, roughly three days after she disappeared from the Manyad police outpost region in Nandgaon taluka.
How the Infant Was Recovered
Yeola taluka police reached the spot upon receiving information and took the baby into their custody. The infant was subsequently identified by her mother and Nandgaon police before being transferred to the Yeola Sub-District Hospital for a medical examination. Her safe recovery brought significant relief to both her family and the investigating officers.
Circumstances Still Under Investigation
The exact circumstances surrounding the disappearance remain unclear. Authorities are yet to determine who brought the baby to Vaibothi, why she was abandoned there, and how she travelled from Nandgaon taluka to Yeola taluka. Police have launched a formal investigation to ascertain the full chain of events.
Odisha's 'Operation Anweshan' Rescues 101 Missing Children
In a separate development, Odisha's Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW & CW) Department, in coordination with the state police, conducted 'Operation Anweshan' — a large-scale search mission that rescued 101 missing children, comprising 54 boys and 47 girls. As many as 17 specialised teams were deployed across multiple states and Union Territories known to frequently receive Odia children.
The youngest child rescued was a three-month-old infant found institutionalised alongside her minor mother. Another child recovered had spent more than five years away from home — the longest institutionalised duration among those rescued. Teams verified leads, coordinated with local authorities, and engaged various child care institutions during the operation.
States Where Children Were Found
The rescued children were located across Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal — underscoring the wide geographic spread of child trafficking and displacement in India.
Both cases highlight the persistent challenge of child safety and the critical role of inter-agency coordination in securing missing children. Investigations in the Nashik case continue as police work to establish who is responsible for the infant's abandonment.
Point of View
'found safe' risks becoming a narrative closure that lets the underlying circumstances go unexamined. The Odisha 'Operation Anweshan' results, meanwhile, are a rare good-news data point on institutional coordination, but rescuing 101 children across 17 states also maps the scale of the problem: these children were already so far from home that specialised inter-state teams were needed to find them.
NationPress
20 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the missing Nashik infant found?
The eight-month-old baby girl was found abandoned near Vaibothi village in Yeola taluka, a neighbouring area to Nandgaon taluka where she had gone missing on 17 September. Yeola taluka police recovered her and she was subsequently medically examined at Yeola Sub-District Hospital.
Is the Nashik baby safe after being found?
Yes, the infant was declared safe following a medical examination at Yeola Sub-District Hospital. She was identified by her mother and Nandgaon police before being taken for the check-up.
Who is responsible for abandoning the Nashik infant?
That remains unknown. Police are investigating to determine who brought the baby to Vaibothi village and the circumstances of her abandonment. No arrests or suspects have been publicly named yet.
What is Odisha's 'Operation Anweshan'?
Operation Anweshan is a mission conducted by Odisha's Crime Against Women and Children Wing (CAW & CW) Department and the state police to locate and rescue missing Odia children. The latest operation rescued 101 children — 54 boys and 47 girls — from 17 states and Union Territories using 17 specialised teams.
Which states were covered in Odisha's Operation Anweshan?
The operation spanned Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal — states where Odia children are frequently found.
