Nalgonda: The sale of a sick infant boy to a couple in Tekumatla village, Suryapet rural mandal, by a child trafficking gang led to the unravelling of the racket in the district.According to sources, the prime accused, Nakka Yadagiri and his wife Umarani, sold a 16-day-old baby boy to a childless couple in Tekumatla village for Rs 5 lakh about a week ago. When the infant’s health began deteriorating frequently, the couple demanded that Umarani either replace the baby with a healthy child or refund the amount. After she refused, the couple alerted the police about the suspected child trafficking. Suryapet rural police took Umarani into custody, and during interrogation, she confessed to having trafficked 10 children — seven boys and three girls — to childless couples across Nalgonda and Suryapet districts. Umarani and her husband Yadagiri, residents of Suryapet, earned a living by selling eggs while travelling from village to village in an auto-truck. During their rounds, they discreetly gathered information about couples struggling with infertility and later approached them with offers to provide a child for a fixed price. Around 11 months ago, Umarani unexpectedly visited the home of Korivi Saidamma in Tekumatla, carrying a two-month-old baby boy. She offered to hand over the child in exchange for Rs5 lakh. Saidamma, who had recently suffered the loss of both her children — her daughter to illness two years ago and her son in a road accident six months prior — was still grieving when the offer was made. Neighbours of Saidamma recalled that she and her husband had fallen into deep depression after the loss of their two children. However, their emotional state began to improve after the baby boy entered their lives. Last month, they even held a ceremony at a temple following the child’s tonsure. Saidamma’s husband, Anjaiah, said he was prepared to transfer ownership of his agricultural land and house to the boy, whom they lovingly named Kittu. If the child were to be taken away, he wished to be allowed to work at a government-run Sishugruha (children’s home) without pay, just to stay close to him. Another childless couple, Muthineni Saraswathi and Venkanna from Chinna Suraram in Nalgonda district, also received a baby girl from Umarani when she was just two months old, reportedly paying Rs 3 lakh. The girl is now nearly two and a half years old. A year ago, Venkanna celebrated her birthday in a function hall, spending another Rs 3 lakh on the event. However, the couple has been untraceable at their residence since Thursday morning. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Suryapet Superintendent of Police K. Narasimha revealed that the trafficking gang sourced children from Mumbai and Ahmedabad, purchasing them for Rs 3 to Rs 5 lakh each, and later sold them to childless couples in the district for ₹10 to ₹15 lakh. Among those arrested is a nurse employed at a hospital in Vijayawada, who is believed to be part of the racket. However, the police clarified that no cases of infant or child abduction were involved in this operation.
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