18-Month-Old Boy Rescued After Being Kidnapped and Sold for Rs 45,000 in Delhi-UP Child Trafficking Case

Toddler "Sold" For Rs 45,000 Rescued From UP, 5 Detained: Police

The kidnapped boy was rescued safely from Mahoba (Representational)

New Delhi:

Police have detained four men and a juvenile after an 18-month-old boy was kidnapped from Delhi's Karol Bagh and subsequently "sold" for Rs 45,000. The authorities made this announcement on Sunday.

The toddler was successfully rescued from Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. Among those arrested was a 54-year-old man who is the father of two daughters. He acquired the child after paying money to the kidnappers because he desired a male child.

The case emerged on September 24 when a man named Mukesh, who sells handicrafts and hails from Rajasthan, reported that his son had disappeared. The family had been sleeping on the footpath near Ganga Ram Hospital red light on Pusa Road after participating in a local fair.

Following the complaint, authorities registered a case and formed a specialized team. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan, investigators "analyzed footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras and tracked two men on a scooter with a concealed number plate moving suspiciously" through various Delhi areas including Rajender Nagar, Prasad Nagar, Connaught Place, Mandir Marg, and Paharganj.

The suspects were later observed transferring a child into a white car near RML Hospital. Police traced this vehicle to Kali Bari Lane in New Delhi, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Anant (22), Raju alias Rishi (24), and Sahil Kumar (21). A 17-year-old accomplice was also apprehended.

"During interrogation, they revealed that the child had been sold in Mahoba to one Foolan Srivas alias Santosh, who has also been arrested," stated Valsan.

The kidnapped child was safely recovered from Mahoba, bringing tremendous relief to the distressed family. Police also confiscated a scooter, the car used in the crime, and Rs 5,500 in cash.

Investigations disclosed that Srivas, who has two daughters, had expressed a desire for a male child and offered up to Rs 1 lakh to the Delhi-based perpetrators, who then devised the plan to abduct the toddler.

The group kidnapped the boy from Karol Bagh and sold him to Srivas for Rs 45,000. Police indicated that further investigation continues.