Gzb: Couple, three others held for kidnapping children, selling them to childless couples

Ghaziabad: Five people, including three women have been arrested and a one and half year old child has been rescued after the Ghaziabad Police busted a gang of kidnappers from Sahibabad police station area on Wednesday. Cops said that the gang used to steal newborn children and sell them to childless couples on demand.

As per police, among the arrested accused is a married couple. Those arrested have been identified as Rakesh Kumar, Rajneesh Garg Soniya, Sangeeta and Kavita, all residents of Gautam Budh Nagar district. Police officials said that they acted on a tip-off received from Aligarh police, after th latter had arrested 16 persons and rescued six kids from them.

A senior police officer said that the gang was being run from Etah by gang leader Duryodhan who is currently behind bars. Soniya and Sangeeta used to move around Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida in search of people, who wanted babies. "The two women also pass the address where a child is recently born to gang members, who used to steal the newly born child from the house while the women delivered it to the address of client and get money," said Alok Dubey, circle officer, Sahibabad.

Police said that the gang usually targetted newborn kids from slum areas of the district. "During interrogation, Sangeeta said that the gang used to steal kids as per the demand of customers and mostly customers demanded kids of age between 6 months to 1.5 years," said Nagendra Chaubey, Station House Officer of Sahibabad police station.

The officer further said that on December 23 last year, Amar Singh, a resident of slums near Haj House in Arthala had made a complaint that his one and half year old son Aarav had gone missing from the house. Police lodged an FIR under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of IPC and began tracing the child.

"The two women confessed during questioning that they "sold" Aarav for Rs 2 lakhs to Rajneesh Garg and his wife Kavita against which they have got Rs 5,000. Rajneesh and Kavita didn't have a baby so they contacted a relative who is known to the accused woman to arrange a baby. The child has been reunited with parents," the SHO added.

Police have booked all the accused under section 363 (kidnapping), 311 (Whoever is a thug, shall be punished with 1[imprisonment for life], and shall also be liable to fine), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. "The accused were sent to Judicial custody after producing them infornt of the magistrate," said police.