In an incident that might send panic waves among thousands of pilgrims streaming into the holy city of Haridwar from all corners of the country all the year round, Uttarakhand police have busted a child-trafficking racket. Four persons, including a couple, were arrested on the charge of abducting children from tourists or railway passengers while they were sleeping on the Haridwar Railway Station complex. Police said they used to sell these children off at high prices to the affluent families who are eager to buy them for adoption. Police have also rescued five babies from their possession on Friday.
The Haridwar Police said the accused have been identified as Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh) native Krishanveer and his wife Rekha, Yamuna nagar (Haryana) native Balvinder Singh and Doiwala (Dehradun) resident Jagmohan. Several cases related to kidnapping of babies have been reported at Hardwar GRP Police Station over the past few months. Some of such cases are as follows. On September 4, 2013, Bablu, native Mahoba (Uttar Pradesh) registered a complaint at GRP Haridwar. He stated that his child had gone missing when he along with wife, his brother and sister-in-law were sleeping at the parking area in the Haridwar Railway Station complex on September 3 night. Having reached Haridwar station from Mahoba, they were tired, he stated in the complaint. A man along with his wife was sleeping in the parking area just beside the family.
When he woke up at 4 am he found his four-month-old child was missing and the couple was nowhere in the scene. Taking cognisance of this, a case (FIR number: 81/2013) under section 363 of IPC was registered in GRP police Station, Haridwar.
On June 2, 2014, Sunil, a native of Bulandshahar (Uttar Pradesh) stated that he along with his wife and children had reached Haridwar on pilgrimage. On June 1, he had to stay the night at Railway station because he had to catch the morning train for Meerut. He got up in the morning to find his seven-month-old child was missing. A case under section 363 of IPC was registered in GRP Police Station, Haridwar.
Continued on Page 4
Cops bust child-trafficking racket at Haridwar
On July 23, 2014, Dharmpal, native of Amroha (Uttar Pradesh) stated that he along with 10 family members, including six children, had reached Haridwar on pilgrimage. On July 23, he stayed at Platform number 1 to catch a train in the morning. When he got up midnight he found his eight-month-old child Kaushindra missing. A case (FIR number - 56/14) was registered in GRP Police station on August 3.
On July 3, 2014, Murli Saini, a native of Bijnor (Uttar Pradesh) stated that he along with family members, including six-month-old child had reached Ganga ghat for worship in the morning. He along with his family members slept at the ghat. When he got up at midnight he found his son Saurabh was missing. A case (FIR number 454/14) was registered in Kotwali Police station. In order to solve such cases, Haridwar SSP Sadanand Date formed several teams that consisted of Special Operation Group, GRP Police Station and local police stations and they began searching the accused. The teams tasked with specific duties were deployed at various places to nab the criminals.
In one instance, acting on a tip-off about suspect persons roaming around Jwalapur Police Station (Haridwar), the teams succeeded in arresting the accused.
The accused Krishanveer and his wife Rekha were members of a child-lifting gang which was operating in Haridwar. They were allegedly adept in lifting children while their mothers were sleeping on platforms or parking areas inside the Railway Station complex. Krishanveer had supplied these children to Jagmohan and Balvinder who used to sell them at higher prices to persons who were running after babies for adoption.
Five children stolen in cases mentioned above have been rescued from the clutches of the abductors. Three of them have already been handed over to their parents. Two children, still unidentified, are yet to be handed over to their parents.