Varanasi Fast Track Court-I on Monday convicted seven members of a child theft and human trafficking gang, sentencing them to life imprisonment. Eight co-accused were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
The convicted individuals are:
Santosh Gupta
Manish Jain
Mahesh Rana (son of Janki Rana)
Mukesh Pandit
Mahesh Rana (son of Ramlal)
Bhiskha
Sunita Devi
Each convict has also been fined ₹15,000. The prosecution was represented by District Government Advocate Muneeb Singh Chauhan and Assistant District Government Advocate Manoj Gupta.
The police had filed a chargesheet against 16 accused in the case. Ten members of the gang were arrested from Jharkhand, Rajasthan, and Varanasi, and three kidnapped children were rescued. The accused included three women, one of whom is believed to be the mastermind.
The case dates back to May 14, when a 4-year-old child sleeping with his parents at Ramchandra Shukla Chauraha, Ravindrapuri, Bhelupur, was kidnapped by individuals in a car. The child’s parents searched for him for two days. Police Inspector Shivam Srivastava, upon reviewing CCTV footage, identified the car riders involved in the abduction.
The convictions highlight the judiciary’s strict stance on crimes against children and human trafficking.
