In a heart-wrenching incident, police in Hyderabad’s Rachakonda commissionerate have uncovered an inter-state child-selling racket, rescuing 13 babies, including four boys and nine girls, the youngest just two months old. The racket was exposed following the arrest of Shobha Rani, a Registered Medical Practitioner, who was caught selling a child for ₹4.5 lakh on May 22.
Medipally Police arrested 11 individuals, including eight women, who had bought children from three suspects based in Delhi and Pune. These babies were reportedly sourced from impoverished families and sold for between ₹1.8 lakh to ₹5.5 lakh.
Rachakonda Police Commissioner Tarun Joshi stated, “The rescued children, aged between two months and three years, will be handed over to the child welfare department until their biological parents are found.”
The investigation revealed that couples, unwilling to wait for lengthy adoption processes, were purchasing these children. The rescued babies are currently in the care of child welfare authorities, with hopes of reuniting them with their biological families.
One man, who had bought a baby for his sister who couldn’t conceive, expressed his willingness to return the child if the biological parents are found. However, he also expressed a desire to legally adopt the baby if the biological parents do not come forward.
The emotional toll was evident as devastated individuals, who had been raising these children as their own, were seen collapsing and wailing uncontrollably when the children were taken away.