VIJAYAWADA: Krishna district police on Wednesday arrested three more accused in a child kidnapping and trafficking case reported under the Penamaluru police station limits, taking the total number of arrests to six.
The police also rescued another minor boy from the kidnappers and seized Rs 80,500 cash from the accused.
Krishna district SP Vasana Vidyasagar Naidu said the accused were part of a racket that targets vulnerable women, particularly beggars, and kidnaps their children through deception. Later, the children will be sold for money as part of an illegal trafficking network driven by easy profit.
He said a case was initially registered on April 17 when police rescued a 10-month-old infant from the kidnappers. At that time, two buyers and an auto driver involved in the crime were taken into custody.
Based on their interrogation, police arrested another three key accused: Ganta Mary (26), Pedamarthi Kanakamma (23), and Gandikota Guramma (30), all residents of Vijayawada.
During the investigation, the accused confessed to kidnapping another 16-month-old boy named Shivam near a temple in Vijayawada. They said when prospective buyers refused to purchase the child, they left him at relative’s house.
Officials said the accused may be involved in several other similar cases, and further investigation is underway to trace more victims and reunite them with their families.
Efforts are ongoing to identify the parents of the rescued children. The SP urged parents to remain vigilant and not hand over children to strangers under any circumstances. Police reiterated that legal action will be taken against those involved in crimes against children.