Police bust child trafficking racket; rescue 30-day-old girl

Belagavi: The city police have busted a trafficking case involving a one-month-old child by taking five accused, including two women, into custody on Sunday. Mahadevi Bahubali Jain of Neginahal village in Bailhongal is the main accused. She is accused of buying children from needy families and selling them to affluent families.
Mahadevi had purchased the 30-day-old girl child from Abdulgafar Hussainsab Ladakhan of Hanchinal in Savadatti taluk, who currently resides in Kittur town, for Rs 60,000.

She was also in search of a buyer for the child. Based on a complaint by Rajkumar Rathod, coordinator of the government children's adoption centre in the Belagavi District Child Protection Unit, police traced the case. In a covert operation, police posed as buyers for the child. They contacted Mahadevi, and agreed on a deal for Rs 1.4 lakh.
Police took Mahadevi into custody when she came to sell the baby. Subsequently, the child was transferred to the child protection unit. The case has been registered against the accused under Sections 363 and 370 of the IPC and Sections 80 and 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 at the Malmaruti police station.
Police have also taken the child’s seller Abdulgafar Ladakhan, and three other accused - Chandan Girimallappa Subhedar and Pavitra Somappa Madiwalar from Turkar Shigihalli and Sampagaon, respectively, in Bailhongal taluk, and Praveen Manjunath Badiger of Hosatti in Dharwad taluk into custody.