Secunderabad Connection Emerges in Interstate Newborn Trafficking Bust
HYDERABAD: Banaskantha police have busted an interstate child trafficking racket that allegedly targeted vulnerable women outside IVF centres. Since April 6, police have arrested 10 people, including the alleged kingpin.
Investigators found that agents directly approached women who had been told they could not conceive and offered them newborns at fixed prices. The gang sold a baby boy for ₹3.2 lakh and a girl for ₹2.5 lakh to ₹2.8 lakh. Agents earned at least ₹50,000 per deal.
Key Accused and Modus Operandi
Police arrested Rani and Shivarani, both from Secunderabad, on Sunday. Investigators identified them as close aides of the alleged mastermind, Bodasu Nagaraju alias Murugan, and his wife.
According to police, the duo earlier worked as agents at a leading IVF clinic in Hyderabad. They earned ₹5,000–₹10,000 by bringing women for treatment. However, they later shifted to trafficking newborns after realising the profits were much higher.
The accused collected contact details of distressed women outside clinics and later contacted them with offers of infants. They finalised deals quickly and delivered babies within 24 to 48 hours of birth.
Wider Network Across States
Police revealed that the gang sourced infants from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, and other states. The network also operated in Hyderabad and Telangana’s Sirpur-Kagaznagar region, where agents identified buyers and arranged illegal adoptions.
Father Sold Newborn Daughter
In a separate case, police arrested Dinesh Rathod from Gujarat’s Danta for selling his five-day-old daughter to the gang for ₹2.8 lakh. Authorities have registered a separate case in this matter, along with another similar offence in Amirgadh.
Police said Rani, a widow, joined the racket to fund her mother’s medical treatment.
Investigation and Breakthrough
Authorities have summoned representatives of Nova IVF, where the accused reportedly worked as agents.
Police launched the investigation after kidnappers abducted a four-year-old boy from a Rajasthan family. Officers later rescued the child near Dhanpura on April 6, which exposed the larger trafficking network.
