In an operation led by the All Women Police Station (AWPS) in Coimbatore’s Sulur town, five people, including two women, were arrested on Monday, June 10, in connection with a child trafficking case. The investigation revealed that Anjali and Mahesh Kumar, a couple who own a hotel in Sulur, had trafficked two children from Bihar.
The trafficking scheme began when the couple purchased a 15-day-old baby girl from a family in Bihar for Rs 1,500. The family, unable to support the child, sold her to Anjali and Mahesh, who then resold the baby for Rs 2.5 lakh. Vijayan, a farmer from Sulur, agreed to the deal after being promised a child with official documentation, including an Aadhaar card and birth certificate.
Anjali contacted her mother, Poonam Devi, in Bihar, who, along with her daughter Megha Kumari, brought the baby to Sulur and handed her over to the couple. The trafficking operation came to light when a local social activist reported the case to the District Child Trafficking Prevention Unit and Childline. Following an investigation, the police rescued both children.
Further inquiries revealed that Anjali and Mahesh had previously trafficked another child, selling a male child to a lorry driver from Andhra Pradesh for Rs 5 lakh. After questioning, the police arrested Vijayan, who admitted to paying Rs 2.5 lakh for the baby. During a raid at Anjali and Mahesh’s hotel, the police found Poonam Devi and Megha Kumari, who were then arrested. Both confessed to purchasing the child from a family in Bihar.
The arrested individuals have been remanded in custody, and the police are continuing their investigation to identify other potential victims. This case comes just weeks after a sex trafficking bust in Chennai, where seven individuals were arrested for trafficking two girls.
