Newborn trafficking exposed: Gujarat Police crack baby sale network linked to Telangana
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Newborn trafficking exposed: Gujarat Police crack baby sale network linked to Telangana")
Newborn trafficking exposed: Gujarat Police crack baby sale network linked to Telangana Photograph: (Credit: ANI/ Representative image)
Investigators say the baby had allegedly been bought for Rs 3.60 lakh, part of a grim trade in which infants are treated as saleable goods.
A 15-day-old newborn was being trafficked across state lines like a commodity when Gujarat Police stepped in just in time. In a chilling late-night operation, the Gujarat Police Crime Branch and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) intercepted a moving car near Kotarpur, close to Ahmedabad airport, rescuing the infant and exposing an organised inter-state child trafficking racket with links to Telangana and Uttar Pradesh. The vehicle, which had arrived from Himmatnagar, was stopped based on specific intelligence. Inside were three accused — Roshan Agarwal of Hyderabad, Sumit Yadav of Uttar Pradesh, and Vandana Panchal of Ahmedabad.
The newborn was found in their custody and was immediately shifted to a Child Health Officer for urgent medical care and protection. Investigators say the baby had allegedly been bought for Rs 3.60 lakh, part of a grim trade in which infants are treated as saleable goods.
The child was sourced through a trafficker identified as Munna alias Yunus from Himmatnagar, who is now absconding. The plan, police said, was to transport the infant to Hyderabad, where he was to be sold to another agent, Nagaraj, for further profit. Police teams are currently hunting for both accused.
“This child is barely two weeks old. The seriousness of the crime cannot be overstated,” said ACP Bharat Patel, underlining the brutality of the racket. What makes the case more disturbing is that two of the arrested accused — Vandana Panchal and Roshan Agarwal — are repeat offenders.
Police records show they were earlier arrested in similar child trafficking cases in Hyderabad. After securing bail, they allegedly returned to the same illegal network, pointing to glaring gaps in deterrence and monitoring. Police believe the racket operates through a well-established supply chain. Newborns are often sourced from vulnerable districts such as Sabarkantha and Banaskantha, where women facing severe social pressure — including unwed pregnancies or extramarital relationships — are targeted.
In this case, Yunus allegedly bought the infant for Rs 60,000, kept the baby briefly, and arranged the transfer for a much higher price, exposing the profiteering at every level of the chain. Earlier investigations have already linked the accused to multiple cases. In one instance, Hyderabad Police rescued three trafficked children connected to Vandana and Roshan, including a child traced back to Ahmedabad, confirming the inter-state spread of the operation. Authorities are now racing against time to identify the biological mother and dismantle the full network behind the trade. With the newborn safe but the masterminds still at large, police say the investigation is far from over — and the hunt for those who profit from stolen childhoods continues.
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