Gujarat Police Bust Inter-State Child Trafficking Racket; ‘Murugan Gang’ Members Held

Banaskantha: In a swift, coordinated operation, Banaskantha police rescued a four-year-old boy, Dev, who was kidnapped near Jalotra on April 6, 2026, and simultaneously uncovered a wider inter-state child trafficking network.

Following the abduction, police formed 10 dedicated teams and launched a special drive titled Operation Dev. Acting on technical surveillance inputs and sustained field efforts, officers traced and apprehended those involved in the kidnapping.

On Monday, police arrested three members of the Telangana-based “Murugan Gang,” led by alleged kingpin Murugan. Investigators said the syndicate trafficked at least eight newborns—two each in Banaskantha and Maharashtra, three in Telangana/Hyderabad, and one in Delhi.

The probe gained momentum after the child—born to a Rajasthan couple—was rescued and two local accused, Shailesh Gamar and Babu Bhagaro from Danta, were arrested. Their interrogation exposed a wider trafficking network allegedly operated by Bodashu Nagaraju, alias Murugan Bodashu Venkati (32).

Using technical surveillance and AI-enabled tracking, a special team traced Murugan to Kagaznagar in Telangana. He was arrested along with Kasarapu Tirupathi Kasarapu Mallalah of Sirikonda in Karimnagar and Keleti Gangadhar Gangarajan of Madulata in Karimnagar.

Explaining the gang’s modus operandi, officials said the operation initially revolved around IVF centres in Hyderabad. Murugan and his wife, Surakrishnaveni, allegedly identified women facing fertility challenges and arranged for highly fertile women to be sent to these centres. They reportedly established links with multiple IVF clinics in Secunderabad, Banjara Hills, and Kukatpally.

Police said the couple earned commissions of ₹5,000–₹6,000 per woman from IVF centres. However, lured by higher profits, they later shifted to trafficking newborns—procuring infants from different states and selling them through agents within 24 to 48 hours of birth for ₹4 lakh to ₹5 lakh per child.

Murugan is believed to have built an extensive network of agents across cities, targeting vulnerable and economically distressed families and persuading them to sell their infants. Police said he has been active in child trafficking for nearly four years.

He was previously arrested in a case registered at Chaitanyapuri police station in Hyderabad and was lodged in Cherlapalli Central Jail for three months starting March 19, 2025. His wife is also reportedly linked to a child trafficking case in Maharashtra.

Authorities have identified several other agents connected to the network, with operatives based in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Thane, Delhi, and Vijayawada, underscoring the racket’s wide geographic spread. DeshGujarat