Belagavi, Jan 22 : Karnataka Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a child-selling racket in the border district of Belagavi, with the arrest of four individuals.

The arrests were made in connection with the selling of a seven-year-old boy, from Sultanpur near Hukkeri town in the Belagavi district

The arrested individuals were identified as Sadashiva Shivabasappa Magadum, the child's stepfather; Laxmibabu Golbhavi, a resident of Sultanpura; Sangeeta Vishnu Sawant from Nagala Park in Kolhapur, Maharashtra; and Anasuya Girimallappa Dodmani, a resident of Kesroli in Haliyala taluk of Karwar district, Karnataka.

This incident has raised concerns, as it is the third case in the district in the last three months.

The accused stepfather, with the assistance of the other suspects, sold the boy to one Dilshaad Sikandar Tehsildar in Belagavi for Rs 4 lakh. Police stated that Dilshaad, who had two daughters, desired a son.

The incident came to light when the boy's mother filed a missing person complaint with the police. Following an investigation, the police tracked the boy to a village near Bailhongal town in Belagavi district.

Accused Sangeeta claimed that she had helped Sadashiva Shivabasappa marry the boy's mother and convinced him to sell the child. The child was handed over to accused Anasuya, who, in turn, sold the boy to Dilshaad, falsely claiming that the child was an orphan.

Earlier, in June 2024, police busted a child trafficking racket in Karnataka's Tumakuru district, rescuing six babies aged between 11 months and 2.5 years. Four individuals, including the owner of a private hospital and three nurses who allegedly sold babies to childless couples, were arrested.

The accused were identified as Mahesh, a nurse at a government hospital in Kunigal; Mehboob Shariff, owner of a private hospital; and two female nurses, Sowjanya and Poornima, who were involved in the deliveries.

Mahesh and Mehboob Shariff reportedly acquired babies from parents who didn't want the child and sold them to other couples for Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh through illegal adoption procedures.

The accused would ask couples desiring children to pretend to be pregnant and get admitted to Mehboob's private hospital in Tumkuru. They were then discharged after a faked delivery, with the babies purchased from others, along with a fake birth certificate, pretending that the baby was their own.

/IANS