BANGALORE: The Central Crime Branch police on Saturday arrested a six-member gang including five women who were using toddlers for the purpose of begging near Frazer Town and Kamanahalli junction.
The police rescued toddlers, four boys and a girl from the gang.
Based on a tip-off, the police swung into action and arrested the gang. The women hail from Rajasthan while the man is a native of Tamil Nadu.
During the interrogation, it was learnt that the gang would drug toddlers using sleeping pills and carry them around while begging at traffic signals and junctions in the city.
A senior police officer said it seemed like a huge racket and that the beggars run a syndicate with people from various states. They sometimes make the toddlers cry to gain sympathy from people who would hand them money.
According to the police, the accused also claim that the babies are their own. However, the police are investigating as to where the toddlers come from.
“We suspect that these children might have been trafficked from rural areas across the country or kidnapped,” the police said.