Child trafficking gang busted in Telangana: Cops

ASpecial trading operations team up of constabulary from Shamshabad, on with Miyapur law, arrested an 11-member gang involved in inter-state child trafficking and rescued two infants from them, a senior police official said.Cyberabad deputy commissioner of police (Madhapur zone Ritiraj told reporters that following credible information about the operations of a child trafficking gang, the police arrested the prime accused at Miyapur along with their associates from different parts of the city.The arrested were identified as: Vemula Babu Reddy (49), Venkipally Gangadhar Reddy (39), Daram Laxmi (28), Ram Hari Roy (37), Kummari Harsha Roy (31), Sangeeta Debi (33), Gudepu Sujatha (40), Suraboina Anuradha (55), Esarapu Jyothi (35), V Madhavi (28) and Pothula Sobha (44).According to the DCP (Madhapur), Ritiraj said the prime suspects - Babu Reddy and Gangadhar Reddy - had maintained two different gangs comprising men and women and took their help to search for poor people from different parts of the country who are unable to meet the basic needs of their newborn infants and induce them to sell their babies by offering attractive amounts.“After unlawfully procuring the infant babies from such vulnerable families, the accused illegally sell the babies to the needy affluent families for large sums through an organized chain, thereby exploiting the economically weaker sections of society for unlawful gain,” she said.The gang members would pay the parents some amount and take away the babies. Later, they would sell the babies to childless couples for a price between ₹6 lakh and ₹7 lakh.She said Babu Reddy, Harsha Roy and Gangadhar Reddy were previously arrested by the Gopalapuram police in connection with a surrogate baby racket at Srushti Fertility Centre in Secunderabad. “After being remanded in judicial custody for a few days, they managed to obtain bail from the court and resumed their activities,” she said.According to the DCP, the gang primarily targeted affluent childless couples, often providing forged documentation to make the “adoption” appear legal. Preliminary investigations revealed the gang operated a nationwide supply chain, frequently sourcing infants from cities like Ahmedabad and transporting them to Hyderabad for sale.“The accused had established links with staff and middlemen across eight different hospitals. These agents targeted vulnerable biological parents or identified unwanted births to procure infants, who were then sold to wealthy buyers,” she said.The syndicate had successfully sold at least 15 children in the Hyderabad region alone before being intercepted. During raids conducted by the Special Operations Team, two infants were rescued from the traffickers. “The rescued infants were handed over to Sishu Vihar, Ameerpet for for medical evaluation and protection,” the DCP added.