Tiruvannamalai police bust child trafficking racket, seven including five women held
“The child sale racket was busted after it came to light during inquiries on the mother’s complaint of his partner’s attempts to marry another woman.
Published: 29th June 2021 05:02 AM | Last Updated: 29th June 2021 05:02 AM | A+A A-
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
TIRUVANNAMALAI: Tiruvannamalai district police have busted a child sale racket by nabbing seven persons, including six persons of the racket spread across five districts of Tamil Nadu, and they are being grilled to spill the beans on the wider network. A seven-month-old baby, sold to a Mumbai man for `5 lakh, was brought back to Tirupur on a flight.
The sale of the baby came to light when Vandavasi All Women Police held inquiries on a complaint recently lodged by 29-year-old Bhavani, a resident of Thalampallam, seeking action to foil the bid of her husband, P Sarathkumar, who was trying to marry another woman, police sources said.
Inquiries revealed that the couple have been live-in partners for several years and she gave birth to a male baby in January this year, the sources said, adding that in the pretext of keeping the baby away from the eyes of the neighbours, Sarathkumar had taken it away. He had told Bhavani that he had left the child with a relative. However, the man had actually sold the baby to a local man ‘Thandu’ Ezhumalai, who, in turn, handed the baby to R Jothi of Chennai.
After changing hands through Kalaivani, Muniammal and Amalu of Chennai, the baby reached Nadhiya, Nandhini and Janaki of Erode, Tiruppur and Thanjavur districts, before being handed to Balu of Mumbai.
Special squads constituted by Tiruvannamalai SP Pawan Kumar Reddy investigated the matter and nabbed the gang.
“The child sale racket was busted after it came to light during inquiries on the mother’s complaint of his partner’s attempts to marry another woman. After coming to know of the child sale, two teams were formed to probe it. They nabbed the gang,” he said. The SP added, “Investigations revealed the Mumbai man had adopted the baby without following due procedures of child adoption.”
Another officer stated that Balu had paid `5 lakh for the baby. However, the baby’s father Sarathkumar was given `80,000. Apart from ‘Thandu’ Ezhumalai, Jothi, Kalaivani, Nadhiya, Nandhini and Janaki, who are part of the child sale racket, the police also held Sarathkumar. A man hunt is on for nabbing Amalu. The baby was brought back on a flight and was handed over to Tiruppur police.The SP informed that the ‘gang has been operating within the State,’ and further investigations are on .it.
