Punjab cop, 4 others held guilty of child trafficking

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, January 22

The court of Additional Sessions Judge Narender has held five persons guilty in a case involving an interstate child trafficking racket busted by the UT police in 2020.

The court will pronounce the quantum of the sentence on January 27. Those held guilty are Amarjit Singh, a constable in the Punjab Police and residing in Kharar, Mandeep Singh, a resident of Punjab, ASHA workers Kuldeep Kaur of Patiala and Sarabjit Kaur of Sangrur, and Bhawna, also a resident of Punjab, but putting up in a rented accommodation in Burail.

The police had arrested them near the Airport light point on August 3, 2020.

After finding them prima facie guilty, the court framed charges against them for the commission of the offences punishable under Section 370 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act-2015, to which they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

As per the prosecution, the suspects used to sell a girl child at a price between Rs80,000 and Rs1 lakh and a boy for around Rs4 lakh. The gang was active in Punjab and Delhi.

The police claimed that the gang members had already sold at least two children, one in Delhi and the other in the city, before they were caught.

The police had laid a trap after receiving a tip-off on illegal sale of a child by a Punjab-based gang. A decoy customer was sent and the deal was struck for Rs4 lakh for a boy. They were caught near the Airport light point on Dakshin Marg while they were travelling in a car. One of the women was holding a two-day-old boy in her lap.

The police claimed that the child was born at a hospital at Malerkotla in Sangrur district of Punjab before being brought to Chandigarh for sale.

Atul Sethi, Additional Public Prosecutor, argued before the court that the prosecution has fully proved the charges against the accused. He said the newborn was recovered from the accused on the spot.

The police said ASHA workers used to keep tabs on expected women in their jurisdictions.

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