Kochi: A dangerous child trafficking network that keeps poor pregnant women captive to sell their newborns has been uncovered by the police in Erattupetta, Kerala.The shocking incident came to light after an expectant woman from Assam made a brave escape from a secluded confinement house in Teekoy and approached the police.Following her complaint, the police arrested 26-year-old Aneena Thensi from Kollam, who acted as a key broker in the operation, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to three.
Earlier, the police had arrested Muppili Raja from Tamil Nadu and K.S. Arjun from Vagamon, who are brother-in-law and brother respectively.Investigators traced Aneena by analyzing the mobile phone calls and Instagram messages of the previously arrested suspects. The racket used Instagram to find childless couples and negotiated deals to sell newborn infants for around three lakh rupees each. The group targeted poor migrant women, brought them to an isolated house in Teekoy, and took their babies immediately after birth to sell illegally. The pregnant victim from Assam was brought to the house on the 16th of this month and was pressured to hand over her baby for money after delivery.
When she refused to yield to their demands, she managed to escape from confinement and alerted the Erattupetta police. Initially registering a case for illegal detention, the police launched a broader investigation after realizing the vast scale of the child trafficking business. Authorities suspect that this network has deep roots spanning multiple districts in Kerala as well as Tamil Nadu, with possible international connections.
District Police Chief K.M. Sabu Mathew stated that all infant transfers conducted by the group were completely illegal and a thorough investigation into every angle is currently underway. Under the leadership of Erattupetta SHO B.S. Sreejith, the police plan to take all three suspects into custody for detailed interrogation to uncover the full extent of the network. The case highlights how trafficking gangs are misusing social media platforms to turn human lives into commodities, posing a severe threat to society that demands strict legal action.
