Mathura (IANS): In a shocking development, an infant who was stolen from Mathura railway station last week, has been recovered from the house of a local BJP leader, who allegedly bought him for Rs 1.8 lakh from a child-trafficker.
The child was sleeping next to his mother on the platform at Mathura railway station on August 24 when he was abducted.
After searching for several days, he was recovered from the house of a BJP corporator from Firozabad, Vinita Agrawal, and her husband Krishna Murari Agrawal, with investigators identifying a racket, headed by a doctor couple from Hathras.
Investigations are on to identify other members of the racket, said police.
Police have arrested the doctor couple – Prem Behari, 38, and his wife Dayawati, 38, who used a hospital they ran in Hathras, Bankey Behari Hospital, as a front for their illegal business – and four of their associates, Deep Kumar, 40, Poonam, 43, Manjeet, 43, and Vimlesh, 38.
BJP corporator, Vinita Agarwal 49, and her husband Krishna Murari, 51, have also been arrested.
Superintendent of Police (SP) for Government Railway Police (GRP), Mohammad Mushtaq, said, “The child was sleeping with his mother on the platform when a man picked up the infant and walked off. A case was registered at GRP Mathura under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for kidnapping.”
Police traced the movements of Deep Kumar through CCTV footage gathered from nearby districts. “Deep Kumar was seen travelling in roadways bus and the conductor identified him and he was arrested. This opened the case and doctors were traced leading to clues on whereabouts of the child,” said the SP.
The SP said a deal was negotiated for the child at Rs 1.80 lakh and an amount of 85,000 has been recovered.
The official said, “Six teams were constituted to trace the missing child, and a surveillance team was activated to work out CCTV footage available about the incident. The gang operating under a doctor couple of Hathras as a kingpin, has been busted.”
Call details of those arrested after nabbing Deep Kumar gave clues which were assembled and their call details gave police more links of this network spread in Agra, Firozabad, Mathura beside other districts of Agra Zone.
The SP said the doctor couple confessed to running an organised gang involved in the theft and selling of children.
“These children were abducted from railway platforms and bus stands and sold to childless couples,” he said.
“We are also investigating Poonam and Vimlesh as it was revealed that they are working as ANM (auxiliary nursing midwifery) on contract for government welfare schemes. Sections related to the offence of human trafficking are being added to crime,” Mushtaq added.