Hyderabad, July 3 (IANS) Cyberabad police rescued a one-month-old baby girl, who was kidnapped from Lingampally Railway Station on June 30 and was later sold to a childless woman from Kolkata for Rs 1.5 lakh.

Police arrested five members of the inter-state gang of offenders.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner Dr M. Ramesh on Friday handed over the rescued infant to her biological mother.

The baby girl was kidnapped when she was sleeping in the lap of her mother Malan Bourav Shantha Bai at Lungampally Railway Station.

Malan Bai, a circus worker from Bidar district, Karnataka, told police that while she was sleeping on the pavement adjacent to the wall of Lingampally Railway Station along with members of her circus group, some unknown offenders snatched away her daughter from her lap. On hearing the baby’s cries, she woke up and attempted to chase the offenders, but they escaped from the spot in the auto-rickshaw.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Chandanagar under section 137(2), 97 r/w Section 3(5) of the BNS and Section 84 of the JJ Act.

Three police teams were constituted under the leadership of CH. Y. Srinivas, ACP RC Puram Division, Serilingampally Zone, to trace the kidnapped infant. They worked out all possible clues, verified a large number of CCTV footages in Cyberabad, Malkajgiri and Hyderabad Police Commissionerates for three days and after making strenuous efforts, apprehended all the accused and recovered the kidnapped girl child.

The arrested persons are Mohemmed Zuber and Mohamed Irfan, both kidnappers from Vikarabad in Telangana, Saadequa Maqsood alia Naziya, Nimmi Jahan Ali alias Seema Ali, both native of Kolkata and residing in Hyderabad, and Rahanuma Ali from Kolkata, who had purchased the infant.

Investigation further revealed that Rehnuma Ali, (30), who had no children, had requested her aunt, Nimmy Jahani alias Seema residing in Hyderabad, to arrange a baby for adoption on payment. Seema, in turn, informed her friend Naziya of Neredmet regarding the requirement. Naziya conveyed the information to her fiance, accused Zuber of Vikarabad, promising substantial monetary consideration for procuring a newborn baby.

According to police, Zuber contacted his associate Irfan, an auto driver and a previous offender in a theft case registered at Vikarabad Police Station. Both accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to kidnap and sell an infant for wrongful gain.

After kidnapping the infant from Lingampally Railway Station, they took the baby to the house of Naziya and informed Seema and Rehnuma Ali.

On July 1, Rehnuma Ali travelled from Kolkata to Hyderabad by flight along with her aunt Sarvari to take the custody of the kidnapped baby. Zuber received Rs 1.50 lakh through online payment from Rehnuma Ali for the illegal sale of the infant.

Police Commissioner said before the accused could escape with the kidnapped child to Kolkata, the police apprehended all the accused persons, rescued the one-month-old baby girl, and restored her safely to the custody of her biological mother.

The prompt investigation, coordinated teamwork, and successful rescue operation led to the dismantling of an interstate child trafficking and kidnapping racket, he said.

–IANS

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