Cops bust trafficking racket, three arrested, minor rescued

Lucknow: Police on Wednesday busted a human trafficking racket with the arrest of two men and a woman. At the instance of those arrested, Ritik (3), who went missing on Feb 20, was rescued from Telangana.
Investigating Ritik's disappearance, police scanned 2,300 mobile numbers operational where he was last spotted, leading to the arrest. The police have also uncovered clues regarding two other missing children. Among those arrested are two hospital employees — Umashankar Rawat from Shahpur, Mahgawan, Lucknow district, and Abhay Verma from Alaypur in Sitapur's Sadarpur police station area. The woman, Sonia Singh alias Sunita, resides in Mangolpuri, Delhi, and is also a hospital staff member.
The investigation began following the disappearance of Ritik, the son of Manish Singh from Mahsona village in the Sandila police station area. Manish, his wife Gudiya, and their two children were attending a wedding at Gauri Kala village on Feb 19. Ritik went missing on Feb 20 night, and a complaint was lodged on Feb 21.
On the night of Ritik's abduction, Umashankar and Abhay arrived on a motorcycle near the wedding venue. Spotting Ritik alone, they befriended him and later gave him a sedative. Ritik was then taken to Lucknow and subsequently to Itaunja. Thereafter, they booked a cab to Delhi and handed Ritik over to Sonia, police said.
Following the complaint, Hardoi SP Neeraj Kumar Jadaun formed special police teams under the command of additional SP (East) Nripendra Srivastava. Nripendra travelled to Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Mulugu, where Ritik was found.
Police said that Sonia facilitated Ritik's sale to agents in Telangana, who sold him to a childless couple in Mulugu for Rs 5 lakh.
The mastermind behind this trafficking network has been identified as Mundavathi Sharda of Vijayawada. Sharda was reportedly assisted by Pathan Mumtaz alias Haseena and Vikkol Bijli, both from Vijayawada. Police teams are working to trace these suspects.
Manish was overwhelmed with joy upon being reunited with his son. He told TOI, "I want my son to grow up to be a police officer like SP Hardoi, who went above and beyond to bring my son back."
Tech, network key in ops
The police team, led by additional SP Nripendra, combined advanced technology with personal contacts to locate the child. Upon reaching Vijayawada, language barriers complicated the search. However, SP Neeraj Kumar Jadaun sought assistance from IPS officers in Telangana. A bilingual interpreter was also provided to aid in communication. Using tracking software, the police pinpointed Ritik's location.
False cancer claim misled buyers
The gang members exploited their hospital connections to facilitate their crimes. Sonia worked in a private hospital in Delhi, Umashankar was a manager at a hospital in Itaunja and Abhay worked as a compounder at the hospital. Through their network, they identified potential childless buyers in Telangana hospitals. The gang falsely claimed Ritik's mother had cancer and the family intended to use the ₹5 lakh to fund her treatment.