NIZAMABAD: Fourth Town police have dismantled a child trafficking ring and arrested four individuals, including the mother, for selling a two-month-old boy. The group allegedly used a Hyderabad-based matrimonial service firm as a cover to sell the infant to a childless man in Pune for Rs 2.4 lakh.
Police said poverty and alcohol addiction drove the woman to sell her son. Apart from the child’s mother, two women linked to the marriage bureau and the buyer were arrested.
The case came to light on December 5, when B Srinivas, a resident of the Yallamma Gutta area of Nizamabad, lodged a complaint stating that his wife and their two-month-old son were missing. A case was registered and an investigation launched.
On December 10, Srinivas’s wife, B Laxmi, appeared before the police but gave evasive answers. “Her responses raised suspicion,” said Station House Officer B Satheesh Kumar. Police also noted the family’s financial distress and Laxmi’s liquor addiction.
Subsequent questioning of persons associated with a Hyderabad marriage bureau — Ramadevi and Manjula — led to a breakthrough. The investigation revealed that Laxmi had sold her son for Rs 2.4 lakh to Vishal, a private sector employee from Pune who has no children. The deal was allegedly facilitated by Vittal, Manjula and Ramadevi.
Police said the transaction violated adoption norms. Laxmi, Manjula, Ramadevi and Vishal were arrested and produced before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody.
The infant was returned to his mother, the natural guardian since he is less than five years old. Police are searching for Vittal, who is absconding.
Initially a missing persons plaint
The case came to light on December 5, when B Srinivas, a resident of the Yallamma Gutta area of Nizamabad, lodged a complaint stating that his wife and their two-month-old son were missing. A case was registered and an investigation launched.