Andhra Pradesh Police Bust Inter-State Child Trafficking Racket; Five Infants Rescued, 10 Arrested
The officials have arrested the main accused in the crime, identified as Balagam Sarojini, a resident of Vijayawada.
Published : December 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM IST
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Police have rescued five infants and arrested ten people in connection with an inter-state child trafficking racket in Vijayawada, a senior police official said on Thursday. City Police Commissioner Rajashekar Babu said, “The rescued infants have been moved to a secure child care centre.”
The gang was involved in smuggling infants from metropolitan hubs like Delhi and Mumbai to sell them to childless couples in Andhra Pradesh, he said. Over the past month, the group transported five children to the city. Two of these infants had already been sold to individuals or families, while the remaining three were being held for future transactions when the authorities stepped in and rescued them.
The police arrested the gang, including the key accused, identified as Balagam Sarojini, a resident of Vijayawada, with a history of criminal activities. Sarojini had previously been incarcerated for her involvement in illegal surrogacy and the trafficking of children. Sarojini was released from prison just a month before her recent arrest, he said.
Acting on a tip-off, the officials initiated simultaneous raids across Vijayawada and Sattenapalli, located in the Palnadu district, beginning on Wednesday morning. While ten individuals are currently in custody, efforts are underway to locate and apprehend two key individuals who supplied the infants from Delhi, identified as Kiran Sharma and Bharati. Specialised teams have been sent to the national capital to apprehend them, the official said.
In connection with this case, three separate legal actions have been initiated at the Bhavanipuram, Nunna, and Kothapeta police stations. The police have stated their firm stance against this type of crime, indicating that they may pursue the use of the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against those who have repeatedly carried out such offences.
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