Karnataka: Police bust child-lifting gang, rescue infant within 24 hours
Ballari (Karnataka), Sep 14 (PTI): Police have busted a child-lifting gang operating in the district hospital and rescued a one-and-a-half-month-old baby within 24 hours of the abduction, officials said here on Sunday.
Ballari Superintendent of Police Shobha Rani said the accused—Shameem, her husband Ismail, and an accomplice Basha—allegedly kidnapped the child on Friday and later sold the infant to Basavaraj Mahantappa of Toranagallu.
Basavaraj, who had been childless for 19 years, had approached Basha, a self-styled quack, after failing to adopt legally due to stringent rules, Rani said.
According to police, the incident took place when the baby’s mother, Sridevi of Benakallu village, visited the district hospital to remove stitches and obtain a birth certificate for her newborn.
Shameem allegedly told her the municipal office would issue the certificate. When Sridevi briefly stepped away to use the restroom, leaving the baby in Shameem’s care, the latter fled with the child.
Sridevi immediately lodged a kidnapping complaint at Brucepete police station. The case was prioritised and, acting swiftly, police tracked down the accused and rescued the child by Saturday night, the SP said.
Rani added that Shameem’s mother, Zainabi, is a convict in a previous child-lifting case. “We are investigating how many cases this gang may be involved in,” she said.
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22 Naxalites surrender in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district
Sukma (PTI): As many as 22 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, police said.
The cadres, including a woman, turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officials here under the `Poona Margem' (New Dawn) rehabilitation scheme of the government, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.
The Maoists' influence is steadily declining in the district due to the ongoing anti-Naxal operations, establishment of new security camps and the increased reach of development projects, he said.
The District Reserve Guard (DRG) Sukma, District Force Sukma, Range Field Team (RFT) Jagdalpur and the Central Reserve Police Force played a key role in encouraging the Naxalites to surrender, the SP said.
The surrendered Naxalites were provided an assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government's policy, he added.
More than 1,500 Naxalites surrendered in the state in 2025.
The Centre has resolved to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 31, 2026.
