JOIN USMangaluru Police bust baby-selling racket; 5-month old baby rescued, one arrested
Mangaluru police busted a baby-selling racket and arrested the 30-year-old seller. A five-month-old baby girl sold to a woman in Karkala was rescued in the joint operation launched with the Mysuru-based Odanadi Seva Samsthe and Childline-1098 Dakshina Kannada.
The accused Ryan alias Riona (30), a resident of Mulki, was running a poultry while being involved in the sale of babies. "He was arrested under section 370 (human trafficking) of IPC," Mangaluru Commissioner of Police N Shashi Kumar told media persons on Friday. Preliminary investigation by police revealed that baby boys (infant) were sold for Rs 6 lakh and baby girls were sold for an approximate Rs 4 lakh.
The accused had reportedly claimed to have purchased the baby for Rs 3 lakh from her parents in Hassan and had sold it to Kavitha from Karkala for about Rs 4.5 lakh. Siddhanth P of Odanadi Seva Samsthe said they had received a call a few days ago about newborn babies being available for sale in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
"I succeeded in securing a contact number of Ryan. Later, I contacted him and pretending to be a customer placed a request for a baby. Baby girls were sold at Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and baby boys were sold for Rs 5.5 to Rs 6 lakh. A token of Rs 1.5 lakh needs to be paid based on the tentative date of birth of baby. We suspect the involvement of doctors and officials as well. The arrested had promised to arrange a birth certificate, Thayi card and other documents also," Siddhanth said.
“During my conversation with the racketeers, I was told about doctors from Hassan or Shivamogga who facilitate sale of babies. The children could be born out of wedlock or unwanted pregnancies. Initially, I was told that a child from Hassan or Shivamogga would be sold to me. But on Thursday the accused had told me that a baby from Bengaluru or Tirupathi would be given to me.”
A team involving Mangaluru South Police Station sub-inspector Sheetal, Center Coordinator, Childline Deekshith Achrappady, and Siddhanth was formed to crack the case. They met the accused at a hotel near Kadri Park around 2.30 pm -3 pm on Thursday and arrested him immediately.