Banaskantha Police Bust Interstate Child Trafficking Racket; Three Held From Telangana

Banaskantha: Achieving a breakthrough under 'Operation Dev', the Banaskantha police have arrested three persons from Telangana in connection with an interstate child trafficking racket. To track down the mastermind behind this entire network, specialised Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools were used.

A child was abducted from Dhanpura under Vadgam taluka of Gujarat's Banaskantha on April 6. Within hours, the police launched 'Operation Dev' and arrested two individuals. An intense investigation revealed that the duo was involved in a large-scale interstate child trafficking racket.

Subsequently, specialised teams were formed by the police, and a comprehensive investigation was initiated. During the interrogation of a juvenile who was apprehended on the Vadodara Highway, authorities recovered Rs 1.50 lakh in cash and a mobile phone. In total, assets worth ₹1.80 lakh were seized. The juvenile revealed during the investigation that his mother is in jail for her involvement in the child trafficking racket.

The investigation further established that the tentacles of this entire network extended to Hyderabad. Leveraging technical surveillance and human intelligence, the police successfully arrested three individuals from Telangana, including the mastermind.

Police said these three accused were engaged in the illicit trade of buying and selling children to earn substantial commissions by deceiving women at IVF centres. "The arrested accused have been identified as Bodashu Nagaraju alias Murugan Vekanti, Kasarapu Tirupati alias Kasarapu Mallalah, and Keleti Gangadhar alias Gangajaran. Driven by the desire for financial gain, these three had resorted to unethical and illicit means to traffic children," an official said.

The network has trafficked and sold a total of eight children across four different states. Two children from Banaskantha, two from Mumbai, three from Hyderabad and one from Delhi have been trafficked by the racket.

Banaskantha SP Prashant Sumbe said, "After initially arresting two individuals during the investigation, a total of six people— including a juvenile — have now been arrested to date. Three individuals, including the ringleader, have been apprehended by special teams utilising technical surveillance and the assistance of AI. Further arrests and shocking revelations regarding this racket are anticipated."

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