HYDERABAD: Chandanagar police have busted a child kidnapping racket that had been operating for nearly five years across Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Sangareddy, arresting five persons and rescuing six children, including a five-year-old boy reported missing last week. Police also recovered `5 lakh from the accused.
The prime accused, Chilukuri Raju, an Ayurvedic practitioner from Patancheru, was arrested along with four others — Mohd Asif, a vegetable vendor from Sangareddy; Rizwana, who runs a nursing clinic in Siddipet; Narsimha Reddy, a mason from Moosapet; and Balaraju from Patancheru.
The case came to light after a woman reported that her five-year-old son, Akhil, went missing from near their hut at Pochamma temple in Lingampally on August 26 while she was away. Despite frantic searches, the boy could not be traced. Police registered a case and formed special teams, which led to the arrest of the accused and the rescue of the children.
According to police, Raju had been targeting children below five years of age, mostly at railway stations and isolated areas. After tracking their movements for days, he would kidnap them and, with the help of his associates Asif and Rizwana, sell them to childless couples.
Four years ago, Raju kidnapped a baby girl from Kacheguda railway station and sold her for Rs 42,000, setting the pattern for his subsequent crimes.
Investigations also revealed that a couple from Patancheru had sold their two newborn babies — just one- and three-days-old — to desperate parents through Asif.
While some rescued children have been identified, others are yet to be reunited with their families. All six were handed over to the District Child Protection Officer for safe custody.