Indore/Jaipur: Seven people, including five residents of Jhalawar district, were arrested by Madhya Pradesh Police at Jaora in Ratlam district on Thursday on charges of child trafficking and kidnapping.
A one-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy were rescued from their custody and reunited with their family.
The Jhalawar residents arrested by Jaora Industrial Area police were identified as Babli (40), Nasra Bi (24), Mohammad Hanif (50), Rashid Khan (40) and Julekha (40). They were allegedly planning to sell the two children to one Mehjabeen Bi (34), a Gujarat resident who worked as a nurse at a hospital in Ahmedabad. Bi was also arrested. A juvenile identified as the son of one of the accused was also taken into custody.
On Nov 30, a woman living in a makeshift hut near the Hussain Tekri fairground in Jaora town reported that her one-year-old daughter and eight-year-old son were abducted by unidentified people. Acting on her complaint, police had registered a case and initiated a probe.
A team led by ASP Rakesh Khakha and CSP Jaora Durgesh Armo reviewed CCTV footage, identified the suspects, and tracked them to Biaora in Rajgarh district. The suspects were apprehended, and the abducted children were safely rescued and reunited with their family.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Rashid Shah and his wife Julekha instructed the accused to abduct the children in exchange for Rs80,000. The couple intended to sell the children to Mehjabeen Bi in Ahmedabad.
A senior police officer in Jhalawar said detailed information about the kidnappers is yet to be received from Madhya Pradesh Police. "If this is an organised gang, we will launch a thorough investigation. A background check on these accused will begin soon," he added.