Lucknow: Rae Bareli police have successfully dismantled an inter-state infant kidnapping and child sale racket that was operating across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. The breakthrough came after the rescue of a nine-month-old baby boy, leading to the detention of nine individuals, including four women who were part of the network.
The Incident
On May 13, a woman traveling alone with her two children from Delhi to Madhya Pradesh was targeted by the gang onboard a train. At the Lucknow railway station, a man and a woman approached her and offered assistance with her children. The situation escalated at the Rae Bareli railway station when the accused took the woman to a dhaba outside the platform. Taking advantage of the situation, the man fled with her nine-month-old infant child.
Police Investigation
The mother approached the Kotwali Nagar police station, where a case was registered under Section 140(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and later Section 143(4) BNS was added. Rae Bareli Superintendent of Police, Ravi Kumar, launched a comprehensive operation involving CCTV analysis, technical surveillance, examination of railway station footage, and human intelligence gathering. The police tracked the movement of the accused towards the Moradabad-Rampur belt and dispatched teams to multiple districts. Within days, the infant was rescued, and the child-lifting network was busted.
Arrests and Network Details
The accused were identified as Ramkumar Das and his wife Reshma Devi, residents of Araria district in Bihar, who specifically targeted vulnerable women traveling alone with children. They were arrested near the railway colony water tank area in Rae Bareli on May 20. SP Kumar stated, "Police unearthed an interstate network involving brokers, facilitators, prospective buyers, and persons allegedly linked to clinics and medical establishments." The investigation revealed that Sumit Kumar acted as a broker providing infants for sale to childless couples, while Kiranjeet alias 'Sardar Aunty' was a key intermediary who approached the buyers.
Planned Transaction
The kidnapped infant was intended to be handed over to Sanjay Kumar Saini, a childless man from the Moradabad region, for a sum of Rs 50,000. Of this amount, Rs 10,000 was to be transferred directly to Sardar Aunty, and another Rs 10,000 to the account of her relative. Other suspects, including Brahmpal Singh, Archana, Babita, and Harishchandra, are believed to have been involved in previous arrangements and the circulation of children's photographs among prospective buyers.
Current Status
Police have so far arrested Ramkumar Das, Reshma Devi, Sardar Aunty, Sumit Kumar, and Sanjay Kumar Saini, the intended receiver of the kidnapped infant. The role of Brahmpal Singh, who is linked to clinics, is under further inquiry. The abducted infant has been rescued, and the car used in the crime has been seized. IG Lucknow Range, Kiran S, described the operation as a major breakthrough.
