Child Trafficking Busted in Vijayawada; 5 Kids Rescued, 10 Arrested
Police team rescued four children whose sale had been planned.
Vijayawada: NTR district police have busted an organised child trafficking racket operating in Vijayawada and nearby areas. During their simultaneous and coordinated raids across the city, police rescued five children who had been illegally sold. Police arrested 10 persons and recovered cash of ₹3.30 lakh from the accused.
Acting on credible inputs, Vijayawada police commissioner S.V. Raja Sekhar Babu formed special teams led by Task Force ACP K. Lathakumari, West ACP N.V. Durga Rao and North ACP Sravanti Roy. The teams organised simultaneous raids on Wednesday evening.
Police took into custody five accused near Kummaripalem Centre in Bhavanipuram, and three others from the UDA Colony area under Nunna police station limits. Police team rescued four children whose sale had been planned.
Based on leads provided by those arrested, police detained two more persons on Thursday morning within the Two Town police station limits and rescued an infant girl.
Police said the main accused Balagam Sarojini (31) of Sitara Centre area in Vijayawada ran a network that illegally procured children from Delhi and Mumbai through intermediaries and sold them to childless couples in and around Vijayawada.
Sarojini allegedly procured the children for ₹1–₹2 lakh and sold them for ₹4–₹5 lakh. She is a habitual offender against whom cases had earlier been registered in Hyderabad and Vijayawada, leading to her arrest. Even after being released on bail, Sarojini continued her illegal trade.
Police said another accused, Garikamukku Vijayalakshmi (41) acted as a middle-woman and has five cases against her in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Bhavanipuram, Nunna and Kothapet police stations have registered cases under Sarojini, Vijayalakshmi and others under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 81 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice Act. Police said the Preventive Detention Act will be booked against the accused in view of their previous record.
Commissioner Raja Sekhar Babu has commended the Task Force and law-and-order personnel for their coordinated action against the child traffickers.