1 baby for Rs 5 lakhs’: Medipally cops bust child trafficking gang, rescue 11 infants

Hyderabad: An arrest and the rescue of a baby from a gang of three persons involved in child trafficking led to the rescue of 11 more babies and the busting of an interstate child trafficking ring.

Earlier this month, Medipally police under Cyberabad limits arrested three persons who were said to be selling infants across state borders. The accused have been identified as Shobarani, Swapna and Shaik Saleem. All are residents of Medipally.

Babies sent for sale from Delhi, Pune

During interrogation, Shobarani confessed that she along with another person named Hari Hara Chetan had been selling babies. Naming more people in the gang, she said that they used to get babies from Kiran, Preethi from Delhi, and Kannaiah from Pune.

According to the police, nearly 50 infants were supplied to the accused who in turn would give them to their agents who would sell them to persons in need of babies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The price of one baby would range from Rs 1,80,000 to Rs 5,50,000 and with the help of mediators they used to make a profit of nearly Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000 on each infant.

The gang has also named more persons allegedly involved in child trafficking which includes Bandari Padma, Balgam Saroja, Mudavath Sharadha Shakeela Pathan, Mudavath Raju, Pathan Mumtaz and Yata Mamatha. Some of the accused are from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and are repeat offenders. The police said that they have started a manhunt for the accused who are absconding.

So far, 11 babies have been rescued from their custody in coordination with the CWC. Two babies have been sent to Shishu Vihar for protection.

Childless couple broke downMeanwhile, childless couple who had bought infants from human-traffickers handed over them to Women and child welfare officials through police.

Many of them broke down at the Rachakonda police commissionerate in Neredmet in Hyderabad.

“We have been married for close to a decade. We had everything in our lives, but not a child. This girl came into our lives as hope for our future. Now everything is gone,” said a woman who had bought a two-and-a-half-year-old from traffickers.

A woman from Suryapet was seen pleading with the officers to let her keep the one-and-half-year old boy. Sadly, the woman lost her husband also. “First, I did not have a child. I got one with great difficulty. Even before that feeling of being a mother could sink in, I lost my husband. Now, I am losing my child as well. I do not have any purpose in life,” said the woman.

Among those who came to the commissionerate with the children were Lothukunta, BHEL, Cherlapally, Peerzadiguda and Gachibowli in the city, Suryapet district, and Vijayawada, Guntur and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh.