Childless couples buying kidnapped kids: Hyderabad police bust trafficking racket; 5 held

Hyderabad: After five agonising days of uncertainty, a mother in Lingampally was finally reunited with her 4-year-old son, Akhil, who had been kidnapped from outside their hut.

The rescue came as part of a major police operation that not only traced the boy but also busted a child-kidnap gang that had been operating across Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Sangareddy for the past five years.

The missing child

The ordeal began on August 26, when Akhil’s mother returned home from a hospital visit to find her son missing from near Pochamma Temple, Lingampally.

Despite frantic searches, the boy was untraceable. Distraught, she lodged a complaint with Chandanagar Police, who immediately registered a case and formed special teams to investigate.

Accused identified and gang operations revealed

During the investigation, police apprehended Chilukuri Raju, a local Ayurvedic practitioner, whose confession exposed the network.

Raju and his associates targeted children under five, usually near railway stations and isolated areas. After abducting them, the children were sold to childless parents through intermediaries.

Raju (A-1): Mastermind; kidnapped and sold children, including a baby girl at Kachiguda railway station for Rs 42,000 four years ago.

Mohd Asif (A-2): Vegetable vendor from Patancheru; supplied kidnapped children to families in need.

Rizwana (A-3): Nursing clinic operator in Siddipet; sought babies to provide to couples.

Narsimha Reddy (A-4): Assisted in kidnapping Akhil from Lingampally.

Balaraju (A-5): From Patancheru, also linked to the racket.

Shockingly, police also discovered that one parent from Patancheru had sold his newborn babies, aged just one day and three days, through this network.

Six children rescued

Following the arrests, police managed to trace and rescue six children, including Akhil.

The list includes: Akhil (5 years) – missing from Lingampally, now reunited with his mother. Arun (2 years) – traced from an earlier case. Ammulu (8 months) – parents yet to be identified. Lasya (5 years) – parents yet to be identified. Adivik (2 years) – identified, and Priya (1 year) – identified.

The rescued children were placed under the care of the District Child Protection Officer for safe custody and rehabilitation.

Cops following up on money trail

At the instance of the accused, police seized Rs 5 lakh in cash, believed to be proceeds from trafficking. A case has been booked under Section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Officials said further investigation is underway to trace more families involved in the illegal adoption racket and to reunite the rescued children with their rightful parents.