Ahmedabad Crime Branch busts inter-state child trafficking racket, newborn rescued, 3 arrested

In a major breakthrough against child trafficking, the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) of Ahmedabad city, in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), has busted an inter-state racket involved in the illegal sale of newborns, rescuing a newborn baby and arresting three persons, police said on Thursday.

Acting on specific intelligence shared by the Gujarat ATS on January 28, a DCB team led by Police Sub-Inspector J C Desai mounted a surveillance operation near the airport boundary wall, close to the Kotarpur pumping station.

During the operation, the police intercepted a white Maruti Ertiga (registration number GJ-01-MT-2600) that was travelling from Himmatnagar towards the Ahmedabad airport. On searching the vehicle, officers found a newborn infant being transported illegally, following which the occupants were detained.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vandana Jigarbhai Panchal (34), a resident of Mukeshnagar Society in Odhav, Ahmedabad, originally from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh; Roshan alias Sajjan Mahavirprasad Agrawal (42), a resident of Hyderabad, Telangana, originally from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan; and Sumit Bachchanbhai Yadav (27), a resident of Bijal Homes in Vatva, Ahmedabad, originally from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The driver of the vehicle, Maulik Umiyashankar Dave (32), has been detained and is being questioned as part of the ongoing investigation.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they had purchased the newborn for ₹3.6 lakh from a person identified as ‘Munnu’ near Himmatnagar. The infant was being transported to Hyderabad, where the accused planned to sell the child to another agent identified as ‘Nagraj’, police said.

The police seized ₹10,050 in cash, four mobile phones with an estimated combined value of ₹55,000 and the Maruti Ertiga car used for transportation.

A case has been registered against the arrested accused, as well as the alleged seller and intended buyer, under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including sections and along with sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Police said the rescued newborn has been handed over to the Child Health Officer for immediate care and medical examination. Further investigation is under way to uncover the wider network involved in the trafficking syndicate and to trace and apprehend other absconding middlemen.