Mumbai: Four women including kingpin arrested in child trafficking racket

Investigations revealed network spread over Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh

The Mumbai police Crime Branch has arrested four women including the kingpin in the child trafficking racket. With this action the number of arrests made by the police has gone up to 14, while one person has been detained. Police investigations have revealed a network spread over Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

"Based on the previous arrest we have gathered information that 14 children had been sold so far, we have rescued four of them and handed them to an NGO," said Ragsudha R, deputy commissioner of police (enforcement). She added that the gang could be big. The four women arrested by the police are Soyakan Vaikatesh, 24; Padma Krishna, 23; Gondma Chikpada, 47 and Anjali Satya Kumar, 46. Chikpada was the kingpin of the racket in Visakhapatnam, said Ragsudha.

According to the police, the women arrested in this racket are menial labourers and worked in IVF centres, "These women either used to donate eggs or lure vulnerable childless couples to pay a price to adopt a child," said an officer on condition of anonymity. "We suspect that the gang operated on WhatsApp and shared photos of the children to their customers and asked them if it fits their specific requirements," said the officer.

According to the police, the other modus operandi of the gang was to find poverty-stricken parents who are finding it difficult to raise their child and then sell their children off, "They used to convince the couple that part with their child on the promise of better future and money to improve their conditions," said a police officer.

The police had previously arrested Rina, Poonam and Swati. "The trio used to sell children to childless couples and we rescued two babies yesterday," said Ragsudha. The police had also arrested the agents - Vandana Pawar, 27; Shital Ganesh Ware, 41; Sneha Yuvraj Suryavanshi, 24; Nasima Hanif Khan, 28; Lata Nanabhau Survade, 36; Sharad Maruti Devar, 45; and BHMS doctor Sanjay Sopanrao Khandare, 42, who runs Nileshwari Clinic at Diva Junction

According to police officials they had acted on a tip-off on April 27, and had arrested Kanta Pendekar, from Kannamwar Nagar at Vikhroli, who sold her five-month-old child for R2 lakh to childless parents in Ratnagiri on December 13, 2022.