In a disturbing case of alleged child trafficking, Kaup taluk police have arrested three individuals after a newborn girl was reportedly sold for Rs4.5 lakh to a couple posing as her parents.
The case came to light when Prabhavati and her husband Ramesh Moolya from Kallugudde, Heruru village, brought a four-day-old baby to a local Anganwadi to register her on the Poshan Tracker, a government platform for child welfare. Suspicious of inconsistencies in their story, the Anganwadi worker alerted authorities.
Police investigations revealed that the infant, born on August 3 at a private hospital in Mangaluru to an unmarried woman, was allegedly purchased by Prabhavati and Ramesh with the help of Prabhavati’s cousin, Priyanka.
Following the complaint, Shirva police registered a case and arrested Dr. Somesh Solomon, Vijayalakshmi (alias Vijaya), and Navneet Narayan. All three reportedly confessed to their involvement and were sent to judicial custody.
Authorities are now investigating whether this case is part of a larger child trafficking network operating through private hospitals, with more arrests possible.
