Dharavi Police Bust Child Trafficking Racket, Rescue 1.6-Year-Old Boy
The Dharavi police have busted an alleged child trafficking racket and arrested five persons in connection with the sale of a 1.6-year-old boy. The child, who was sold multiple times through intermediaries and transported to Tamil Nadu, was rescued safely by the police.
According to investigators, the child was initially sold by a couple residing in Dharavi for Rs 1.05 lakh. The child was subsequently passed through a chain of middlemen and eventually sold for Rs 4.80 lakh to a childless couple based in Tamil Nadu.
The incident came to light after the child's maternal uncle, Sunny Singh, 39, a security guard living in Goregaon, grew suspicious. On August 6, Singh was told by his mother that his sister had slipped in the rain while carrying the boy and that the child had been admitted to Sion Hospital with head injuries.
When Singh visited Sion Hospital that evening, he could not find his sister or her husband, and their mobile phones were switched off. The following day, the couple allegedly told Singh that the boy had died. However, on August 8, under sustained questioning, the mother confessed that the child had been sold to a woman named Rani on August 2 for Rs 1.05 lakh.
Singh brought his sister and brother-in-law to the Dharavi police station to register a complaint. Police registered a case under Sections 75 and 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, alongside relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A police team led by Police Inspector Sunil Mane, PSI Suraj Shinde, and Pramod Salunkhe arrested Rani alias Shabnam Khan, 26. Interrogation revealed the involvement of Deepak More, Zaida Khan, Priya Borhade, and Akash Borhade, who had allegedly sold the boy for Rs 3 lakh to Ramaswamy alias Anna, 52, in Karnataka.
Investigators travelled to Karnataka to arrest Ramaswamy, who disclosed that the child was then sold for Rs 4.80 lakh to Kannan Viriya, 39, and his wife Priya Viriya, 38, in Tamil Nadu. The couple had reportedly been unable to have children for 16 years. Police noted that some of the accused worked at an IVF centre and transported the toddler by bus. Further investigation is underway to determine if the accused belong to a wider network.
