Child trafficking racket busted in Karnataka with arrest of seven; five children rescued
Tumakuru (Karnataka), Jun 26: The Karnataka Police busted a child trafficking racket, arresting seven persons and rescuing five children who were allegedly sold by the accused to childless couples, officials said on Wednesday.
The matter came to light after a complaint was filed by a couple on June 9 alleging that their 11-month-old infant was allegedly kidnapped by some miscreants at night while they were asleep at their home in Gubbi taluk here, they said.
A special team was constituted to rescue the kidnapped child and, acting on a tip off, accused Ramakrishna (53) and his accomplice Hanamantha Raju (45) who allegedly kidnapped the infant were arrested.
Based on information provided by them, a third accused Mahesh UD (39) who was previously working as a staff nurse at a government hospital in Kunigal was arrested. The accused allegedly sold the kidnapped infant to another accused, Mubarak, for Rs 1.75 lakh, a senior police officer said.
Subsequently, 44-year-old Mubarak was also arrested and the kidnapped 11-month-old infant was rescued by the police, he said.
Investigation has revealed that Mahesh used to find women who got pregnant out of wedlock and illicit relationships. He then got the children from such women and sold them to childless couples for a price of Rs two-three lakh per child, he added.
Another accused Mehboob Sharif (52) who was also involved in the racket used to run a medical facility in the name of his wife at Huliyar and worked as a pharmacist at a Primary Health Centre, the police official said.
"Out of the nine children sold by the accused, five children have been rescued and one was found dead. Out of the rescued, one of them has been reunited with his family while the remaining four rescued children are currently at an adoption centre on the orders of the Child Welfare Committee," Ashok K V, Superintendent of Police (Tumakuru), told PTI.
Another accused, Poornima (39), who was a contract worker at a Primary Health Centre, and Soujanya (48), who was a staff nurse at a hospital, allegedly cooperated in selling the infants. They have also been arrested in the case, police said.
A used car, Rs 50,000 cash and four mobile phones have been seized from the accused, they said.
The accused created fake birth certificates for the children they sold, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
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Lokayukta ADGP M. Chandrasekhar calls Kumaraswamy’s allegations ‘false, malicious’
Bengaluru: Lokayukta ADGP and Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief M. Chandrasekhar has strongly refuted the accusations of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and termed it ‘false and malicious.’
"HD Kumaraswamy, an accused in SIT's case no.16/14, made false and malicious allegations and threats in a press conference today," said Chandrashekar.
Chandrasekhar stated that these allegations were aimed at intimidating SIT officers, particularly as the SIT has sought legal action against Kumaraswamy, who is currently out on bail. "These accusations were made to prevent us from fulfilling our duties," Chandrasekhar remarked, adding that no matter the status of the accused, they will be treated fairly and according to the law.
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He further mentioned, “By attacking me, they may have intended to strike fear in the minds of the SIT officers. However, Chandrasekhar said that no matter how high in position and mighty an accused is, he is just an accused. We will not be deterred by such accusations and threats. I work fearlessly and impartially as SIT head, and promise to give justice to all. I also promise to protect you from criminals and accused in our cases and from external influences.”
Retorting to Kumaraswamy's allegations, Chandrashekar cited George Bernard Shaw’s famous quote, "Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it," explaining that although they may have to face criminals and accusations in their line of duty, they must remain steadfast in their mission.
“Never lose hope. Because truth always wins. Let us believe in truth, God and our law.Satyameva Jayate,” the letter read.
