In a major breakthrough, NTR district police have busted an organised illegal child sale racket operating in Vijayawada, arresting 10 accused and rescuing five children during coordinated raids across multiple locations in the city.
Coordinated raids lead to arrests
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, NTR District Police Commissioner SV Rajasekhar Babu said the operation was carried out based on credible intelligence. Task Force teams, along with Bhavanipuram and Nunna police, conducted simultaneous raids near Kummaripalem Centre in Bhavanipuram and the UDA Colony area under Nunna police station limits.
Initially, eight accused were arrested, four children rescued, and ₹3.30 lakh in cash was seized. Further questioning led to the arrest of two more accused from the Two Town police station area, resulting in the rescue of another child.
Woman identified as mastermind
Police identified Balagam Sarojini alias Sarojini, a resident of Sitara Centre in Vijayawada, as the mastermind behind the racket. According to the police, she procured children from Delhi and Mumbai through associates and sold them to childless or infertile couples in and around Vijayawada for large sums.
The children were allegedly purchased for ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh and sold for ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh, the Commissioner said.
Accused have criminal history
Sarojini reportedly has a long criminal record, with previous arrests in illegal child trafficking cases in Medipally and Gopalapuram in Hyderabad, and Nunna in Vijayawada. Despite being out on bail, she continued the illegal activity, police said.
Another key accused, Garikamukku Vijayalakshmi, has five prior cases registered against her across police stations in Mangalagiri, Eluru, Kodad, Jangaon and Suryapet.
Other accused acted as middlemen, caretakers and facilitators, helping transport and shelter children as per instructions.
Strict action under PD Act planned
Police said several children sourced from Mumbai and Delhi were on the verge of being sold in Bhavanipuram, Nunna and Kothapeta areas but were rescued in time. Cases have been registered at the respective police stations.
Commissioner Rajasekhar Babu said stringent action, including invoking the Preventive Detention Act, would be taken to prevent repeat offences. Senior police officials congratulated the teams for swift and effective coordination.