Cyberabad police rescue kidnapped one-month-old girl, arrest five involved in inter-state child trafficking racket
Cyberabad police rescued a one-month-old baby girl who was kidnapped from her mother’s lap near Lingampally Railway Station and arrested five people for their involvement
Cyberabad police rescued a one-month-old baby girl who was kidnapped from her mother’s lap near Lingampally Railway Station and arrested five people for their involvement in an inter-state child trafficking racket. The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammed Zuber and Mohammed Irfan, who carried out the kidnapping, Saadequa Maqsood alias Naziya and Nimmi Jahan Ali alias Seema Ali, who acted as intermediaries, and Rehnuma Ali of Kolkata, who agreed to purchase the infant. The infant was abducted in the early hours of June 30 while her mother, 25-year-old Malan Bourav Shantha Bai, a circus worker from Bidar district in Karnataka, was sleeping on the pavement beside the railway station along with members of her circus troupe.
According to the police, two men arrived in an autorickshaw at around 2 a.m., snatched the baby from the woman’s lap and fled. The mother woke up on hearing the child’s cries and attempted to chase the vehicle, but the accused escaped. A case was subsequently registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act. Police formed three special teams, which analysed CCTV footage from Cyberabad, Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri over three days before tracing the accused, rescuing the infant and dismantling the child trafficking network. According to the investigation, Rehnuma Ali, who had no children after marrying in 2021, approached her aunt, Seema, seeking to obtain a baby in exchange for money.
Seema contacted her friend Naziya, who then informed her fiancé, Zuber, promising him a substantial payment for procuring a newborn. Police said that Zuber, along with his associate Irfan, an autorickshaw driver with a previous theft case, conspired to kidnap an infant for sale. Investigators said the duo spotted the complainant and her baby sleeping on the pavement near Lingampally Railway Station before abducting the child. After the kidnapping, the infant was taken to Naziya’s residence, following which Seema and Rehnuma Ali were informed. On July 1, Rehnuma Ali travelled from Kolkata to Hyderabad by flight to take custody of the baby.
Police said Zuber received ₹1.5 lakh through an online transfer as payment for the illegal sale of the infant. Before the accused could leave with the child, police apprehended all five suspects, rescued the baby and reunited her with her biological mother. The five accused have been arrested, and further investigation is underway. *
The BriefWire