Five individuals, including a doctor, have been taken into custody by Belagavi police on suspicion of buying and selling a newborn reportedly born to an unmarried mother in Karnataka. The arrests were made after an investigation into the sale of a month-old baby girl.
The accused include Mahadevi alias Priyanka Bahubali Jain from Bailhongal; Abdulgafar Hussainsaab Ladkhan, a physician from Hanchinal village near Saundatti; Chandan Subedar from Shigihali village near Bailhongal; Pavitra Somappa Madiwalar from Sampagaon village near Bailhongal; and Praveen Manjunath Madiwalar from Dharwad. They were brought before the court and are currently being held in judicial custody.
The investigation began following a complaint by Rajkumar Ningappa Rathod, the coordinator of the government adoption center of the district child protection cell. The police found out that Dr. Ladkhan had sold the baby to Mahadevi for ₹60,000. Mahadevi then attempted to sell the child for a higher price.
Undercover officers posed as potential buyers and convinced Mahadevi to sell the baby for ₹1.4 lakh. She was arrested when she arrived with the baby girl at a pre-arranged location in Belagavi. The baby has since been admitted to the district hospital.
Further investigation led to the arrests of the other accused. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) P.V. Sneha stated, “An investigation is on to see if this transaction was part of a larger racket.”
The bust was part of a larger operation by the Karnataka Police and the District Child Protection Department. The department received a tip-off about the child-selling racket and set up an operation to catch those involved. The accused were identified as Abdul Ghafar Ladkhan, a fake doctor from Kittur, Mahadevi Jain from Neginahala, Chandan Subedar, Pavitra, and Praveen.
The group targeted unmarried pregnant women, promising to care for their children. After delivery, the fake doctor, Abdul Ghafar Ladkhan, would take care of the infants for two to three months before selling them to childless couples for prices ranging from ₹60,000 to ₹1.5 lakh.
When the District Child Protection Department got wind of this, they contacted Mahadevi, who demanded ₹1.4 lakh for a child. Agreeing to the deal, department officials asked her to bring the child to Ramtheertha City in Belagavi. She was arrested when she arrived with the baby.
It was discovered that Mahadevi had bought the child from Abdul Ghafar for ₹60,000 and was trying to sell it for a profit. The other accused, Pavitra and Praveen, were found to be in a relationship, and Pavitra was seven months pregnant before marriage. The couple had approached Abdul Ghafar for an abortion, for which he charged ₹20,000.
A case has been registered at Malmaruti police station, and the five accused are currently being interrogated. Belagavi City Police Commissioner Yada Martin Marbanyang confirmed the arrests, stating, "A child selling racket has been busted. Five accused have been arrested, and legal action is being taken against them. We are investigating how many children have been sold by the accused so far."
The police investigation team was led by Deputy Commissioners Rohan Jagadeesh and P.V. Sneha and included Inspectors J.M. Kalimirchi, Ramanagouda Sankanala, K.B. Gourani, and Jasmin Mulla.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/ Susmita Bhandary/MSM)
