Synopsis
Karnataka Police have arrested four individuals, including a stepfather, for their involvement in a child-selling racket that targeted a seven-year-old boy. This operation, based in Belagavi, has raised serious concerns, marking the third case in the district in three months.Key Takeaways
- Four suspects arrested in Belagavi.
- Seven-year-old boy sold for Rs 4 lakh.
- Incident raises alarms about child trafficking.
- Police previously rescued six infants in Tumakuru.
- Illegal adoption practices exposed.
Belagavi, Jan 22 (NationPress) Karnataka Police announced on Wednesday that they have successfully dismantled a child trafficking network in the border district of Belagavi, resulting in the apprehension of four suspects.
The arrests pertain to the illegal sale of a seven-year-old boy from Sultanpur, located near Hukkeri in the Belagavi district.
The detained suspects include Sadashiva Shivabasappa Magadum, the boy's stepfather; Laxmibabu Golbhavi, a local from Sultanpura; Sangeeta Vishnu Sawant from Nagala Park in Kolhapur, Maharashtra; and Anasuya Girimallappa Dodmani, who resides in Kesroli within Haliyala taluk of Karwar district, Karnataka.
This alarming event marks the third reported case in the district within a span of three months.
The stepfather, collaborating with the other suspects, sold the boy to Dilshaad Sikandar Tehsildar in Belagavi for Rs 4 lakh. According to police reports, Dilshaad, who has two daughters, was seeking a son.
The situation unraveled when the boy's mother lodged a missing person report with law enforcement. Subsequent investigations led police to locate the boy in a village close to Bailhongal in Belagavi district.
Accused Sangeeta alleged that she facilitated the marriage between the boy's mother and Sadashiva, ultimately persuading him to sell the child. The boy was entrusted to Anasuya, who then sold him to Dilshaad under the pretense that the child was an orphan.
In a similar incident, police in June 2024 uncovered a child trafficking operation in Tumakuru district, rescuing six infants aged between 11 months and 2.5 years. Four individuals, including a private hospital owner and three nurses, were taken into custody for allegedly selling babies to couples unable to conceive.
The arrested suspects included Mahesh, a nurse at a government hospital in Kunigal; Mehboob Shariff, the owner of a private hospital; and two female nurses, Sowjanya and Poornima, who participated in the deliveries.
Reports indicate that Mahesh and Mehboob Shariff procured infants from parents unwilling to keep them and subsequently sold them to couples for Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh through unlawful adoption methods.
They advised couples wishing for children to feign pregnancy and check into Mehboob's private hospital in Tumakuru. After a staged delivery, they would discharge these couples with purchased babies and a forged birth certificate, making it appear as if the child was biologically theirs.
