Mumbai child trafficking case: Police identify 7 more kids sold by the gang

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The Crime Branch investigation into a child trafficking case has led to the identification of seven additional children allegedly sold by the trafficking gang. While the police have identified a total of eight minor victims sold by the gang, they suspect that the trafficking racket, operational for over five years, may have victimised more than 20 children for monetary gain.

Investigators face a significant challenge as some of the children, raised by affluent families, have established emotional bonds with their foster parents. Disrupting these relationships could have severe emotional repercussions for both the children and their foster families.

The Crime Branch's Unit 9 stumbled upon the child trafficking racket while investigating a complaint about a drug-addicted couple selling their two children - a one-month-old daughter and a two-year-old son. The police rescued the one-month-old girl. The parents, Shabbir Khan and Sania Khan, along with Shakeel Makrani, who adopted the child, were arrested. During interrogations, Shakeel Makrani, a lightman in film shoots, revealed that he had paid Rs 14,000 to the Khans. The Khans admitted to selling their son, Hussain, for Rs 60,000.

Further investigations led to the arrest of two touts Usha Anil Rathod and Manikramma Bhandari, 63, from Chakala. Subsequent arrests included Shafique Haroon Shaikh, 45, Balkrishna Kamble, 33, and Vaishali Phagaria. Phagaria, a housewife residing in Byculla, had purchased the child from Shafique Shaikh and Balkrishna Kamble, who is the child's father. Sr Inspector Daya Nayak of Unit 09 said, "Multiple teams are working on the case to ensure that all children are rescued."