Karimnagar Police Bust Baby Sale Racket; Five Arrested
Acting on a tip-off, police conducted a raid and arrested the mother, Seelam Sai Shree, 22, of Visakhapatnam, along with four others, including intermediaries and the car driver: Reports
KARIMNAGAR: Karimnagar Two Town Police have busted a racket involving the sale of a seven-day-old baby boy and arrested the mother along with the middlemen involved. The shocking incident, driven by poverty and desperation, involved an attempt to sell the infant for ₹5 lakh.
Acting on a tip-off, police conducted a raid and arrested the mother, Seelam Sai Shree, 22, of Visakhapatnam, along with four others, including intermediaries and the car driver.
Police said Sai Shree, who had separated from her husband, was living in Hyderabad with her friends Abhinav and Heena when she gave birth to the boy at Gandhi Hospital on November 14. Exploiting her financial distress, Abhinav and Heena allegedly persuaded her that raising the child would be difficult and encouraged her to sell the baby. Sai Shree agreed.
Heena then contacted local middlewomen Pallavi and Bhavani in Karimnagar to arrange the sale. The group finalised a price of ₹5 lakh. On November 29, the mother, intermediaries and driver Ashok travelled to Karimnagar. Following Bhavani’s instructions, they met potential buyers near Arya Hospital to show them the infant.
A dispute over payment and the group’s suspicious behaviour were noticed by a local auto-rickshaw driver, who immediately alerted the police via Dial 100.
As the accused attempted to flee, Karimnagar Two Town Police, led by sub-inspector J. Arun, intercepted them in Kisan Nagar while they were allegedly receiving the ₹5 lakh cash through broker Bhavani.
Police rescued the infant and seized the cash along with the vehicle used in the crime. A case has been registered against the mother, Sai Shree, intermediaries Heena, Abhinav and Bhavani, and driver Ashok. Further investigation is underway.