Police are investigating whether the case is linked to a larger child trafficking network operating across state borders
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A two-month-old boy allegedly sold by his parents for Rs 1.2 lakh was rescued on Sunday after police uncovered a child-trafficking chain that saw the infant resold thrice across Maharashtra and Telangana for price as high as Rs 3.5 lakh. An FIR was subsequently registered at Mukundwadi police station under sections 142 (wrongfully concealing or confining a kidnapped person), 143(4) ( child trafficking ) and 3(5) (joint liability for common intention) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act. “About a month after the child’s birth, the couple handed over the infant to Reshwal in exchange for Rs 1.2 lakh in cash. Reshwal then sold the baby to her relative, Sangeeta Avhad, for Rs 2.7 lakh,” deputy commissioner of police (Zone II) Ratnakar Navale said. Police said Avhad subsequently took the child to Nanded and sold him for Rs 3.5 lakh to Suresh Rajaram Guntuka, a resident of Jagtial district in Telangana.
He handed over the baby to his relative, Uma Gangadhar Khatkam, from Hyderabad, for the same amount,” a senior officer involved in the investigation said. Seven people, including the parents, have been arrested. A rapid series of transactions then followed. “Guntuka initially claimed to be an MBBS doctor but was later found to be a quack.
The infant was subsequently produced before the child welfare committee (CWC), which directed that he be placed under the care of Sakaar, an authorised child-care institution, for protection and rehabilitation. On Sunday, Guntuka and Khatkam brought the child to Mukundwadi police station and handed him over to authorities.
She eventually registered a kidnapping complaint on Sept 20, after which police spent days piecing together the facts,” Pawar said. Vandana and Yogesh Kamble, who had been in a live-in relationship for the past two to three years, welcomed a baby boy at Govt Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on July 5, according to investigators.
The investigation began following a tip-off that a Mukundwadi couple had sold their baby, according to commissioner of police Pravin Pawar. An officer said, “Investigation revealed that Vandana did not want to keep the baby and approached her coworker, Kaushalya Pawar, for help selling him.” “Subsequently, the child’s mother, identified as Vandana Kamble, was summoned for questioning.