27 Arrested, 10 Infants Rescued as Police Crack Illegal Adoption Network
Hyderabad:The special operations team (SOT) of Rachakonda and Chaitanyapuri police arrested the prime accused in an inter-state infant trafficking gang, said Rachakonda police commissioner G. Sudheer Babu on Wednesday. The operation has so far rescued 10 infants, while efforts continue to trace 11 more.
The gang, which operated across multiple states, was led by Amulya, 29, a former ASHA worker from Malakpet. During interrogation, Amulya and her accomplices, Kola Krishnaveni and Deepthi, confessed to trafficking at least 25 infants. The gang procured babies from Mumbai, Kanpur, Raipur, Amaravati and Hyderabad, selling them in Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
The police launched the operation after initially rescuing four infants. Interrogation of the accused led to the identification of 21 more trafficked babies. Of these, six girls and four boys have been rescued so far, with efforts underway to locate the remaining 11.
According to the confessions, Amulya played a key role in buying and selling infants. She admitted to trafficking eight babies (four boys and four girls), of whom five — four girls and one boy — have been rescued. Krishnaveni confessed to trafficking three infants, while Deepthi admitted to involvement in the sale of 10 babies.
Sudheer Babu said, “Amulya was recruited into the racket by Sheikh Ismail for a fee. The accused targeted childless couples, convincing them to illegally adopt infants at exorbitant prices. Female infants were sold for `3 lakh to `4 lakh, while male infants fetched up to `6 lakh. The racket operated across multiple states, smuggling infants from different parts of India.”
Amulya and her associates used social media to expand their network. She trafficked eight infants and, in collaboration with Deepthi, sold another 10, the commissioner said. So far, police have arrested 27 individuals linked to the racket, including mediators, adoptive parents and key traffickers. Among them are 10 adoptive parents who illegally acquired infants from the accused.
The arrested include prime accused Amulya and mediators Vaishali Bheemrao Wasnik, a private employee from Nagpur; Janpally Karthik, a Hyderabad-based lab technician; Sajjan Agarwal, a marriage bureau operator from Hyderabad; Banala Mangaiah, a businessman from Rangareddy; Bodasu Nagaraju, a brick kiln owner from Asifabad; Ramaram Ashok, a labourer from Neredmet; Shaik Ismail, a car dealer from Mailardevpally; and Macharla Vamshi Krishna, a businessman from Nizampet and another 10 individuals who had illegally adopted the infants.
Issuing a caution, the commissioner said, “We urge people to follow legal adoption procedures. Avoid intermediaries or agents who may be involved in illegal activities. Approach official channels to ensure all adoption procedures comply with the law.”
