Inter-state child trafficking gang busted in Hathras, five held
On May 9, an elderly woman filed a complaint at Kotwali police station of Hathras, alleging that her 4-year-old grandson, Kavish, had gone missing that evening while playing near their house.
Following the arrest of four accused on Thursday, Hathras police apprehended another person for involvement in an inter-state human trafficking gang responsible for abducting a 4-year-old child from Kotwali area of Hathras city last week. The child was safely recovered from Vijayawada on Thursday.
On May 9, an elderly woman filed a complaint at Kotwali police station of Hathras, alleging that her 4-year-old grandson, Kavish, had gone missing that evening while playing near their house.
A case was registered under relevant sections of law, and a search operation was launched to trace the missing child, informed SP Hathras, Chiranjeev Nath Sinha.
Following the efforts, the child was successfully recovered from Vijaywada, and four of the accused, including two women, were bought to Hathras on transit remand. During interrogation, police obtained further leads, prompting the Hathras team to continue the investigation, which led them to Paderu town in Andhra Pradesh, informed SP Sinha.
“One more accused, identified as Wodeda Mallikarjuna Rao, a native of Visakhapatnam, was arrested from the Paderu bus stand in Andhra Pradesh and bought to Hathras on Sunday. Legal formalities are currently underway,” he stated, adding that a case has been registered under section 143 (3)(5) (Trafficking of person) under Bhartiya Nyayay Sanhita (BNS) at Kotwali police station of Hathras.
SP Sinha informed that this inter-state gang was involved in abducting children from various states and selling them to interested buyers. The gang operates in well-planned manner, renting houses near the homes of targeted children based on buyers’ requirements, and has reportedly kidnapped eight to nine children in the past.
“The gang circulates photos of the targeted child to buyers and proceeds with the kidnapping only after the money deal is finalised by the buyer,” he informed.
“The child recovered from Vijaywada was initially taken to Madhya Pradesh, then Maharashtra, before finally reaching Andhra Pradesh. We coordinated with Vijaywada police to secure the child’s recovery, and the child has now been reunited with their parents in Hathras,” said SP Hathras.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals revealed that charges for newborns are significantly higher, with rates varying depending on the age of the child to be supplied. These kidnapped children are passed along through multiple hands, while those in charge stay put in their original points as the child is moved from state to state.
The accused arrested on Thursday have been identified as Monu Pathak from Hathras, Meddi Patla Raghvendra from district Kadappa in Andhra Pradesh and two women—one of whom is originally from Ghaziabad but had relocated to Hathras and rented a house near the targeted child’s home before abducting the boy.
