Toddler ‘sold’ for Rs 45,000 rescued from UP, five held: Police
New Delhi: Four men and a juvenile were apprehended after an 18-month-old boy in Delhi’s Karol Bagh was kidnapped and “sold” for Rs 45,000, police said on Sunday.
The child was rescued from Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. Among the arrested is a 54-year-old man, a father of two daughters, who took the toddler after offering money to the accused as he did not have a male child, they said.
The incident came to light on September 24, when complainant Mukesh, a handicraft seller from Rajasthan, reported that his son had gone missing while the family was sleeping on the footpath at Pusa Road near Ganga Ram Hospital red light after participating in a fair.
Based on his complaint, a case was registered and a special team was formed. Investigators “analysed footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras and tracked two men on a scooter with a concealed number plate moving suspiciously in areas including Rajender Nagar, Prasad Nagar, Connaught Place, Mandir Marg and Paharganj,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan said.
The suspects were later seen transferring a child into a white car near RML Hospital, the police said. The car was traced to Kali Bari Lane in New Delhi, leading to the arrest of three accused identified as Anant (22), Raju alias Rishi (24) and Sahil Kumar (21), while a 17-year-old was also nabbed.
“On interrogation, they disclosed that the child had been sold in Mahoba to one Foolan Srivas alias Santosh, who has also been arrested,” Valsan said.
The kidnapped boy was rescued safely from
Mahoba, bringing immense relief to the family. The police also seized a scooter, the car used in the offence and Rs 5,500 in cash.
Investigations revealed that Srivas, who has two daughters, had expressed a desire to have a male child and offered up to Rs 1 lakh to the Delhi-based accused who hatched the plan to abduct the child.
They kidnapped the boy from Karol Bagh and sold him to Srivas for Rs 45,000. Further investigation is underway, the police said.
