The Belagavi Child Protection Committee, in collaboration with police, uncovered an inter-state child trafficking racket, rescuing a 1-year-10-month-old girl who had been sold for ₹4.5 lakh. The child is currently in the care of a children’s home in Belagavi.
The primary accused, Rajendra Metri and his wife Shilpa Metri from Sangli, Maharashtra, sold their two-year-old daughter to Goa resident Smitha Wadikar through middlemen. The deal was facilitated by Vandana Surave from Belagavi and Maharashtra-based couple Ravi and Rani Raut, who are suspected to be the racket’s masterminds.
The transaction occurred at a hotel in Joida, Uttara Kannada district. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. While the child’s parents are the main accused, the Goa resident is also implicated.