A major illegal adoption racket being allegedly operated by an Ayurvedic doctor from Kuravi in Mahabubabad district was busted by the Khammam urban police on Friday.
They arrested Raparthi Srinivas, the Ayurvedic doctor, who runs a private nursing home in Kuravi, on charges of selling a six-month-old baby girl, the third daughter of an impoverished tribal couple, to a childless couple, both government employees, of Khammam recently.
The police handed over the baby girl to the staff of Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) Department, who in turn admitted the baby in the State-run Sishu Vihar here. According to police sources, the accused was already facing charges of conducting illegal abortions in Kuravi. He is suspected to have sold five more babies in the neighbouring Mahabubabad district. One of the babies reportedly died a couple of months ago, the police sources added.
The preliminary investigation revealed that sex determination tests were conducted as part of the illegal adoption racket in gross violation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (PCPNDT), 2014. Presenting the arrested doctor before the media here on Friday, Khammam Assistant Commissioner of Police P.V. Ganesh said Srinivas was arrested on Thursday evening based on reliable information that he had sold a baby girl to a childless couple of Jayanagar Colony in Khammam recently.
Srinivas allegedly induced Banoth Swamy and Leela, a tribal couple of Nereda village in Mahabubabad district, to give away the baby, their third daughter, to the childless couple by taking advantage of their poor financial condition. He has been booked under Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Section 370 (5) of the IPC. A detailed investigation into the case is under way, Mr. Ganesh said.
