VIJAYAWADA: Vijayawada police have busted an organised infant trafficking racket involved in the illegal sale of newborns and arrested 10 people in connection with the case on Thursday. Police also seized `3.30 lakh in cash from the accused.
Speaking to mediapersons, NTR district Commissioner of Police (CP) SV Rajashekhara Babu said the gang was found to be procuring infants, barely a few months old, from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other states, and selling them in Vijayawada and other places in Andhra Pradesh.
Acting on specific intelligence, the police teams headed by Commissioner’s Task Force (CTF) Assistant Commissioner of Police K Latha Kumari, West Zone ACP NV Durga Rao, and North Zone ACP Dr K Sravanthi Roy conducted a well-coordinated operation at various places across the city and rescued five infants from the custody of the accused.
During the raids, five persons were detained near Kummaripalem Centre under Bhavanipuram police station limits, while three others were taken into custody in the VUDA Colony area under Nunna police station limits. “The timely action of police rescued four children who were being prepared for illegal sale. During our interrogation, it was revealed that each baby was being sold for amounts ranging between `3 lakh and `5 lakh,” said CP Rajasekhara Babu.
The investigators further confirmed that the racket was being operated by the same gang led by Bagalam Sarojini alias Balagam Sarojini (41) and Shaik Fareena (28) who had been arrested earlier in a similar case some months ago and released on bail.
The other accused were identified as Garikamukku Vijayalakshmi (41) of Bhavanipuram, Vadapalli Blessy (30) of Kummaripalem, Muktipeta Nandini (30) of Telangana state, Shaik Baba Vali (28) of Guntur district, Amdala Mani (49), Airi Vamsi Kiran Kumar (29), Shanka Yohan (46) and Pathi Srinivasa Rao (52).
Sarojini masterminded the racket to make quick money by targeting childless couples and those suffering from infertility. She allegedly procured infants from Delhi and Mumbai through associates, buying them for `1-2 lakh each, and selling them for Rs 4-5 lakh to prospective buyers in Vijayawada.
Sarojini is said to have built a network involving multiple intermediaries who handled transportation, shelter, and care of the children. Despite having previous cases registered against her in Hyderabad in the sensational Srurshti IVF case and Vijayawada for similar offences, she continued the illegal trade even after being released on bail.
CP Rajasekhara Babu warned that stringent action, including invoking the PD Act, would be initiated against the accused to prevent further offences. “Special teams were sent to Mumbai, Delhi and other places to trace and arrest kingpins behind the network,” he stated.