Kannur: Five minor girls from Andhra Pradesh have been rescued after Kerala police busted an inter-state racket of child trafficking.
The traffickers allegedly bought children from their parents for money and employed them in local houses in Kannur as maids.
The girls, aged between seven and 16 years, were rescued from four houses where they were employed at Chokli in the district on Saturday.
Based on a tip off by volunteers of Childline, an NGO, a raid was carried out in these houses and the girls were rescued, police said.
Six persons, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have been arrested in this regard so far, they said.
56-year-old Sherif, believed to be the kingpin of the racket, was held from a fringe area in Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border.
He is believed to be the main agent who buys under-aged children from various states by offering money to their parents, police said.
"The rescued girls are aged between 7 and 16 years. We are trying to collect details about their whereabouts and trace their near ones," Chokli Sub Inspector E V Shibu said.
The girls are now housed at a state-run rescue shelter in Thalassery in the district, he said.
