Child trafficking racket busted in Tumakuru, 7 arrested; hospital sealed in Belagavi

TUMAKURU, BELAGAVI: The Tumakuru police have busted a child trafficking racket and arrested seven people including two nurses. They rescued five infants and are on the lookout for three more while one child died. All the nine infants had been illegally sold.

The police stumbled upon the child trafficking racket when they were investigating the kidnap of a 11-month-old baby in Gubbi. During investigation, the police learnt that the infants were being sold for Rs 2-3 lakh each.

The gang would pay off unmarried pregnant women and those in illegal relationships to deliver their children in the private hospital run by Mehboob Pasha. The prospective buyers would be shown as expecting mothers in the hospital records and the birth certificates would be issued to them.

The arrested are Mahesh U D, Mehboob Pasha, K N Ramakrishna, Hanumantharaju, Mubarak Pasha and Poornima N, a staff nurse at the Dodderi health centre and Sowjanya, a nurse at Sira. Sowjanya earlier had a case registered against her for female foeticide.

Police Superintendent K V Ashok briefing the media.

Police Superintendent K V Ashok said, “The gang would not reveal the identity of the women who delivered the children and all deliveries were done illegally. The adoptive parents were shown as the biological parents and birth certificates were issued. The rescued children are in the care of the child protection officer”.

Meanwhile, the health authorities in Belagavi, who have launched a crackdown on facilities were illegal abortions were being conducted, have sealed Shiva Hospital in Badkal Galli in the city. The hospital had a nameboard of Dr S Devanagaon, but Ayurvedic medicines were being dispensed inside.

The health officials also issued a notice to Gurukrupa Hospital owner Umesh Acharya in Chawata Galli seeking a reply within a week. The hospital was being run by Dr Naveed Shaik.

In Chikkodi, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Riyaz Mullah, a fake doctor, and sent him to jail for a week. Riyaz Mullah has studied only up to PUC and was running a hospital in Kerur village in Chikkodi taluk. The hospital has also been seized.