HYDERABAD: The Saroornagar Police on Wednesday arrested a gang of six persons who were trying to sell a seven-day-old baby girl for Rs 80,000. The newborn was rescued and handed over to a child home.
According to police, based on information by child rights NGO, Balala Hakkula Sangham, a team of five police officers from Rachakonda Special Operations team along with Saroornagar police conducted a joint operation and arrested all the six persons. Police booked cases under Section 370(4) of the IPC, (trafficking in persons) and Section 75,81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act against them.
“We caught them red-handed while they were trying to sell the child for Rs 80,000 near a temple in Venkateswara Colony in Saroornagar. The parents of the child, are from Mahbubnagar district and are absconding,” A Manmohan, Saroornagar police inspector, said.
Police said that the gang, including two women had lured a tribal couple from Raichur Thanda in Mahbubnagar district taking advantage of the their poverty. The couple have three girls already and the gang members bought the infant for `25,000 from the couple.“The Child Welfare Committee has directed us to shift the baby to Sishu Vihar,” informed A Devender, district child protection officer, Rangareddy.
Even as the inquiry is underway, Achyuta Rao of Balala Hakkula Sangham, alleged that this has been going on for the last one month. The prime accused, 32-year-old Kedavath Ravi, who is a Ola driver, has been buying baby girls from Amangal and Kalvakurthi thandas in Nagarkurnool and selling them in the city. The arrested persons are Kedavath Ravi (32), his wife Saroja (28), Vadithyavath Rukka(45), Mudavath Lakshman (50), Kethavath Pantu (40) and Varithyavath Redya (45).