Hyderabad man among three held in newborn trafficking case in Gujarat

Ahmedabad police arrested three persons, including a Hyderabad-based trafficker, after rescuing a 15-day-old newborn allegedly being transported for illegal sale. The arrests have exposed an organised interstate network trafficking infants from Gujarat to other States.

Hyderabad: A city-based trafficker is among three persons arrested by the Ahmedabad police in connection with an interstate child trafficking case, following the recent rescue of a 15-day-old newborn, who was allegedly being transported for illegal sale.

The suspects have been identified as Roshan Agarwal, a resident of Hyderabad, Sumit Yadav from Uttar Pradesh and Vandana Panchal of Ahmedabad.

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They were arrested after a joint team of the Crime Branch and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) intercepted their car near Kotarpur, close to the Ahmedabad airport, while it was travelling from Himmatnagar.

As per information available, the newborn was found inside the vehicle and was immediately shifted to the care of a Child Health Officer for medical examination and protection. The Ahmedabad Police’s She Team has now taken over the infant’s care, with essential supplies and continuous medical monitoring been arranged.

As per reports, the suspects allegedly paid Rs 3.60 lakh to procure the baby from a trafficker identified as Munna alias Yunus, who is suspected to be operating from Himmatnagar. The child was allegedly meant to be transported to Hyderabad and handed over to another agent, Nagaraj, for further sale.

Both Yunus and Nagaraj are absconding and police teams have been deployed to trace them. Roshan Agarwal and Vandana Panchal are repeat offenders who were earlier booked in child trafficking cases in Hyderabad and are believed to have resumed the illegal activity after securing bail.

Preliminary investigation points at the existence of an organised network sourcing newborns from parts of north Gujarat and supplying them to other States, including Telangana.

Efforts continue to identify and trace the biological parents of the newborn and how the child was illegally obtained.