Child selling racket busted in Hyderabad, 11 babies rescued

HYDERABAD — Police in Greater Hyderabad have busted an inter-state child-selling racket and rescued 11 babies.

Medipally Police under Rachakonda Police Commissionerate arrested 11 persons including eight women who had bought the children from three accused from Delhi and Pune.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi told media persons on Tuesday that the accused were selling the children to issueless couples.

The rescued children are aged between one month to two-and-a-half months. Nine of them are baby girls while the remaining two are baby boys.

Police said the accused used to get babies from Kiran and Preethi of Delhi and Kannaiah of Pune. The trio supplied nearly 50 babies to those arrested. The agents of the accused were selling them to the persons who are in need of babies in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a price ranging from INR 1.80 lakh to INR 5.50 lakh per baby with the help of mediators.

The racket came to light after police launched an investigation following the arrest of Shobha Rani, a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) on May 22 for selling a child for INR  4.50 lakh.

The Police Commissioner said Swapna and Shaik Saleem who were helping Shobha Rani were also arrested and two babies were rescued from them.

The accused were booked under sections 370, 372,373 r/w 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 81,87 and 88 Juvenile Justice Act 2015.  On interrogation, Shobarani revealed that she was working in coordination with Hari Hara Chetan, who was selling the babies.

Based on the confessions of the accused, police arrested Bandari Hari Hara Chethan, Bandari Padma, Balgam Saroja, Mudavath Sharadha, Mudavath Raju, Pathan Mumtaz alias Haseena, Jaganadam Anuradha and Yata Mamatha.

All the arrested are residents of Telangana and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Their interrogation revealed that the babies were being supplied to them by three persons from Delhi and Pune for INR 50,000 each.

Kiran, Preethi, Kannaiah and other accused are absconding. The Commissioner said further investigations were on into the case.