How a canceled infant deal spawned baby trafficking in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A cancelled baby sale was behind the abduction of an 11-month-old boy that Tumakuru police cracked down on last week, police investigations have revealed.

Police investigations into the kidnapping revealed that a larger gang was operating a baby-selling operation. They arrested seven people who allegedly sold nine babies.

Gubbi police identified the ringleaders of the operation as Mahesh UD and Mehboob Sharif.

Mahesh, a former nurse at a government hospital in Tumakuru, and Sharif, a pharmacist running a homeopathic hospital in his wife’s name, conspired to sell babies to childless couples and those who wanted children.

The two met through their medical contacts.

Mubarak, a tamarind trader from Bellur Cross in Nagamangala, contacted Sharif through a common friend, expressing his desire to buy a baby boy.

“Mubarak has three daughters, but he desperately wanted a son. Even though he took care of his family, he felt it was necessary to have a boy. So, he approached Sharif,” a police officer close to the investigation told DH.

Sharif informed Mahesh about Mubarak’s request. Mahesh knew a woman who lived on the streets and was too poor to raise a baby. He contacted the woman and offered her money in exchange for her baby. Initially, a deal was made, but the family pulled out after the baby was born, causing the plan to fail.

Eleven months later, Mubarak, still desperate for a son, contacted Mahesh and Sharif again. The duo planned to steal the same baby, knowing that the family was homeless. Mahesh enlisted the help of Ramakrishna and Hanumantharaju, both tattoo artists, to carry out the kidnapping.

On June 9, Ramakrishna and Hanumantharaju kidnapped the 11-month-old baby from a hut near a temple in Gubbi while the family was sound asleep.

After the family lodged a complaint with the police, investigators examined the CCTV footage and found a suspicious Maruti 800. They also detected two mobile phones active nearby at the time of the crime. Both the numbers were close to the car and their position changed as the Maruti 800 moved, which led the police to the kidnappers.

Eventually, Mahesh and Sharif were arrested after the car was found, and the suspects led the police to Mubarak. The police rescued the baby and arrested Mubarak.

Mahesh and Sharif told the police how they sold nine babies with the help of nurses Poornima N and Sowjanya.

Mahesh and the two nurses would seek out women who conceived outside of marriage and take their babies by offering them large sums of money. Sharif would facilitate the introductions to couples wanting children, while the other four would act as intermediaries.

Police identified five of the nine babies and sent four of them to a state adoption center. One of them is said to have died.