Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A joint team of Raoji Bazar police station staff and crime branch arrested 9 people including 6 women for their alleged involvement in child trafficking in the city, an officer said on Thursday.     

Raoji Bazar police station in charge Umesh Yadav informed Free Press that acting on information about a child trafficking racket, a case under sections 143 and 62 of the BNS was registered against some people and a special team was formed to arrest them.

In a prompt joint operation, the accused named Pramila Sahu, Vandana Makwana, Pooja Verma, Neelam Verma, Neetu Shukla (all residents of the different parts of the city), Ranu alias Pooja from Nagda and three men named Santosh Sharma, Vijay Mogkar (residents of Ujjain) and Veeresh Jatav, a resident of Mainpuri in UP were arrested.

Yadav said that one of the accused, Sonu Ben, who is the mother of a child which was reportedly sold by her to the gang members, is in police custody along with a child. She is being questioned and further information is being gathered about children previously bought and sold by the gang.

Police are also working to identify others involved in such activities. Police said that if required, police remand of the accused would be taken for detailed questioning. Another accused, Priya Maheshwari, is currently absconding.

Ongoing investigation revealed that accused Pramila Sahu of Mayur Nagarand Vandana Makwana of Tower Square had previously been jailed in a similar case registered at Heera Nagar Police Station for their involvement in selling a child in exchange for money.

Police are currently collecting the criminal history records of the other accused as well.

Police said that Sonu Ben hails from Gujarat and she came in contact with the women and she had told them to sell her child as she was unable to bear her expenses due to poverty. Later, the women had told a person from Azad Nagar to provide a child. The person with the help of his friend called the accused to Agrasen Square and informed them about the same.

It is said that some of the women accused are associated with the ‘looteri dulhan’ case in Rajasthan and they had duped a person after marrying him. However, further investigations are underway into the case.