Belagavi: A one-and-a-half-year-old boy, who was kidnapped allegedly by a relative from Bengaluru and sold to a childless couple in Belagavi for Rs. 80,000, was rescued on Saturday by Tilaknagar police.
Four persons have been arrested in this connection while three others, including the main accused, are absconding.
The police said Subhan Khan was kidnapped on February 6 when his mother, Ayesha, took him to Jayanagar General Hospital as he had fever. The police said Ayesha met a distant relative, Ghouse Peer, at the hospital who took the child away on the pretext of buying him chocolates.
Soon, Peer asked his friend Anwar and his wife Firdose to take away the child to Madanapalli in Andhra Pradesh by posing as the boy’s parents. In Madanapalli, they met Peer’s contact Adil, a mobile phone dealer, who had been asked to find a childless couple to whom the boy could be sold.
Later, Peer, Adil, Anwar and Firdose together went to Belagavi and sold the boy to a small-time businessman, whom the police identified as Syed Rizwan. Rizwan and his wife were looking to adopt a baby. After Ayesha filed a complaint with the police, a special team was formed to track the kidnappers.
The team monitored Peer’s mobile phone call records and tracked Adil, who reportedly confessed to the crime after he was arrested. Based on the information provided by Adil, the police arrested Anwar, Firdose and Rizwan.
The child was rescued and reunited with his parents on Saturday. The arrested have been remanded in judicial custody. The police are on the lookout for Peer and two of his associates, identified as Hasan and Babajan.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
