Hyderabad: The Nalgonda police on Friday busted a Cyberabad-based child trafficking racket and arrested a six-member gang. The cops also rescued seven children aged between one and four years.
The children were stolen from slums and lower middle-class colonies in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Vijayawada during summer nights when the families usually sleep outdoors. The children were sold in Aleru in Nalgonda to families that wanted male children.
While five of the children have been restored to their parents, two others are yet to be united with their parents.
According to Nalgonda superintendent of police T. Prabhakar Rao, the offenders hail from different parts of Telangana and Andhra. They had settled in New colony near Sai Baba Temple in Miyapur of Cyberabad.
“The kids are aged between one and four years. The abductions took place from November 2013 till date, mostly in March, April and May. The accused confessed to selling these children to various people for Rs 7,000 to Rs 1 lakh depending on the affordability of the purchasers,” said Mr Rao.
Police said the parents of two other children, one belonging to Vijayawada and the other from Cyberabad, are yet to be identified. There are several missing cases registered with Kukatpally, Miyapur and Sanatnagar police station and the Aleru police station in Nalgonda.
The arrested were identified as M. Mallaiah, 50, of Manthapur in Aleru, Kadiyala Rangamma, 50, of Budaveru in Vijayawada, M. Raju, 25, from Sangareddy, P. Yadamma, 60, of Zaheerabad in Medak, K. Pochamma, 60, of Aleru, and M. Butchamma, 55, of Rajapet in Nalgonda.
Police said that Raju, a stone-cutter, and Yadamma were the baby lifters who would visit places in the twin cities and Vijayawada and steal the babies from the mothers’ side while they were asleep at night. During the day, they would move around the colonies and slums in the disguise of hair sellers and identify potential houses.
“The duo would hand over the babies to Rangamma, a tea vendor, who would in turn sell them to Pochamma and Butchamma and then Mallaiah would identify prospective buyers and sell the babies,” said Mr Prabhakar.
“Most of the victims are from poor and lower middle-class families. In some of the cases, the kids had become attached to the couples who had bought them and they didn’t identify their natural parents,” he said.
Aleru police has booked cases under Sections 363 IPC (kidnapping) and 370 IPC, which will attract 14 years imprisonment and more.
“Cases have also been booked against the buyers. We will arrest them soon,” said the SP.
