Infant Sold Through Multiple Deals, Recovered from Hyderabad; Seven Arrested

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sept 30 : A one-month-old baby allegedly sold through a series of transactions across Maharashtra and Telangana has been recovered from Hyderabad, with seven people, including the child's parents, arrested in connection with the case.

The case came to light in the Mukundwadi area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where police began investigating the alleged sale and transfer of the infant.

According to police, the child's parents initially handed over the baby to a middlewoman, identified as Seema Reshwal, for Rs 1.20 lakh. Investigators alleged that the couple later spent the money on two expensive mobile phones and a gold chain. Police are in the process of seizing the items as part of the investigation.

Police said Reshwal subsequently allegedly sold the infant to Sangeeta Awhad, a resident of Padegaon, for Rs 2.70 lakh. Awhad then allegedly took the baby to Nanded, where the child was handed over to Suresh Guntuka for Rs 3.50 lakh.

Investigators have described Guntuka as a bogus doctor. Police said he subsequently handed over the infant to his relative Uma Khatkam, a resident of Hyderabad, for the same amount.

The police eventually traced the infant to Hyderabad and recovered the child during the investigation.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the case, including the baby's parents and others allegedly involved in the successive transactions. Police are questioning the accused to reconstruct the entire chain of alleged transactions and establish the role of each person.

Investigators are also examining whether the accused have links to other cases involving the illegal sale or transfer of infants. Police are probing the possibility of a wider interstate infant trafficking network and whether other people were involved.