Health officials seal clinic of Kittur doctor arrested for child trafficking

BELAGAVI: Health Department officials have sealed the clinic of a doctor who was allegedly involved in child trafficking, at Somwarpet in Kittur town in the district.

The clinic was sealed by taluk medical officer S S Siddanna, and medical supplies and drugs were seized. The clinic was being run by Dr Abdul Gaffar Ladakhan, who has been arrested in the case of infant trafficking. The authorities concerned have lodged a suo-motu complaint against the fake doctor.

Recently, the police arrested a gang of five — Dr Abdul Ghaffar Ladakhan, Mahadevi Jain alias Priyanka Jain, of Neginhal, Chandana Subedar, Pavithra, and Praveen — for running a child trafficking racket. The gang targeted women who got pregnant prior to marriage and were keen to undergo an abortion.

When the women were 7-8 months pregnant, Dr Ladakhan would deliver the babies and send the women away, he would take care of the babies for 2-3 months and then sell them for huge sums ranging between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh. On getting information, the district child protection officer laid a trap and caught them.

In a recent case involving an unwed couple, he charged Rs 20,000 for the operation. He had then sold the baby to another accused, Mahadevi for Rs 60,000, who, in turn, sold the infant for a higher sum.