A 1-month-old baby was sold by his parents to Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for Rs 1.20 lakh in a case that has led to police investigating a suspected inter-state infant trafficking network. The baby was transferred between several people and sold multiple times, eventually reaching Hyderabad.
The case came to light in the Mukundwadi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where the parents of the child handed their one-month-old baby over to a woman who was allegedly a middlewoman for money. Police have arrested seven people since then and are investigating the suspected chain of transactions and circumstances of the baby transfer.
The baby's parents received Rs 1.20 lakh in the first transaction according to police. Police say the couple used the money to purchase two high-end mobile phones and a gold chain after that. They have been identified as part of the evidence in the case and are being seized as the investigation progresses.
Baby Allegedly Sold Multiple Times
The investigation found out that the child was sold four times by the parents after being handed over by them. Police are investigating each individual's role and how the child moved from one person to another.
In the first alleged transaction, the parents sold the baby to Seema Reshwal for Rs 1.20 lakh. Police claim that Reshwal later sold the infant to Sangeeta Awhad, a resident of Padegaon, for Rs 2.70 lakh.
The baby was taken to Nanded, where Awhad handed the child over to Suresh Guntuka. Police have described Guntuka as a fake doctor and said he purchased the child for Rs 3.50 lakh.
According to police documents, the baby was then transferred to his relative Uma Khatkam of Hyderabad for a fourth time. Guntuka handed the baby over to his relative Uma Khatkam, who lives in Hyderabad. According to the police investigation, the transaction again involved Rs 3.50 lakh.
The subsequent alleged transactions have raised questions about a wider network operating across state borders. Investigators are now trying to determine whether the people arrested knew one another and whether the alleged transfers were part of a coordinated operation.
Seven Arrested in Baby Trafficking Case
Police have arrested seven people in connection with the alleged trafficking case, including the baby's parents and others who were suspected of involvement in the subsequent transfers. Reshwal, Awhad, and Guntuka are among those named in the investigation.
The arrests have allowed investigators to question the accused about the alleged transactions, the people involved, and the circumstances in which the infant was transferred, the indictment says. Police are also investigating the possibility that there were other people involved who have not yet been identified.
A key part of the investigation is identifying the complete chain through which the baby allegedly moved from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Hyderabad. Analysts are looking at financial transactions and other evidence that could help to establish the sequence of events.
Authorities are looking at whether the accused may have been involved in other incidents involving the illegal sale or transfer of infants, they say. If evidence of a larger network emerges, investigators might look at other locations and people.
The case has also revealed the vulnerability of infants to illegal trafficking and the importance of tracing children transferred outside legitimate adoption and child-protection procedures. Police and child-protection authorities need to determine the circumstances for the baby’s initial transfer and to ensure that the health of the infant remains a priority.
The baby’s alleged passage through multiple people and across state borders has made it the focus of the current investigation. The arrested accused are still being questioned and evidence is collected about what each person played.
In the course of the investigation, authorities will have to establish the entire chain of alleged transactions, the financial transactions, and whether there were other people with them. The charges against the accused will ultimately be taken and further investigation will take place.
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