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Hathras doctor couple arrested for running a child trafficking gang
Government Railway Police recovers an abducted child from the house of a BJP corporator in Firozabad, who allegedly purchased him for ₹1.80 lakh
A doctor couple from Hathras was arrested along with six others after Government Railway Police (GRP) busted a child trafficking racket on Monday. Police also recovered a 7-year-old boy, who was kidnapped from Mathura Railway station on August 24, from the house of a BJP corporator and her husband in Firozabad. A case has been registered at GRP station in Mathura.
Superintendent of Police (SP) for GRP Mohammad Mushtaq informed that the GRP was searching for a 7-year-old, who was abducted by an unidentified accused from the Mathura railway station platform on August 24, 2022.
“The child was sleeping with his mother, a complainant in this case, on the platform. A case was registered at GRP Mathura under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for kidnapping,” Mushtaq said.
“Six teams were constituted to trace the missing child, and a surveillance team was activated to work out CCTV footage available about the incident. The efforts paid dividends, and the gang operating under a doctor couple of Hathras as a kingpin, was busted,” the GRP SP stated.
“Those arrested include Dr Prem Behari (38) and his wife Dr Dayawati (38), running Bankey Behari Hospital in Nawal Nagar locality of Hathras. The doctor couple ran this gang. Other arrested include Deep Kumar (40), Poonam (43), Manjeet (43), and Vimlesh (38) from Hathras, all active members of the gang. Also arrested are Krishna Murari Agarwal (51) and Vinita Agarwal (49) from Firozabad,” informed SP GRP.
The SP GRP further stated that the doctor couple had confessed to running an organised gang involved in the theft and selling of children. “These children were abducted from railway platforms and bus stands and sold to childless couples,” the SP GRP said.
It was revealed that the child recently stolen by Deep Kumar from Mathura junction was sold to Vinita Agarwal, a BJP corporator in Firozabad and her husband Krishna Murari Agarwal for ₹1.80 lakh.
“We are investigating the details about the doctor couple as we anticipate that they might have wider contacts and also involved in other cases of stolen children as well. We are also investigating Poonam and Vimlesh as it was revealed that they are working as ANM (auxiliary nursing midwifery) on contract for government welfare schemes. Sections related to the offence of human trafficking are being added to crime,” Mushtaq added.
Police sources said that the couple (BJP corporator and her husband) who purchased the child had a daughter and was craving a son.
Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at BJP. The SP chief in a tweet said, “BJP ne bachho ka vartman aur bhavishya to chura liya…. Ab kam se kam ye kaam to na karen (BJP has already stolen present and future of children …. now should not stoop so low)”.
