Ahmedabad: Banaskantha is in the news again for child trafficking. After news of a 10-day-old being sold by its daily wager parents, city crime branch officers on Wednesday prevented the alleged sale of another 10-day-old boy for Rs 30,000. Like in the earlier case, the parents, who have three other children, claimed they could not afford to raise another. The parents, residents of a village in Danta taluka, were arrested along with two middlemen, Govind Gamar and his son Shivaraj Gamar, for their alleged role in the crime. Police said the couple handed over the newborn to the agents shortly after his birth. The deal was allegedly struck for Rs 50,000, and the parents were to get Rs 30,000 after commissions of Rs 5,000 each to four intermediaries. The agents then transported the baby from the Khandera village area in Banaskantha to give it to another handler in Himatnagar when police came into the scene. During interrogation, the parents told police that they have three other children and were unable to bear the financial burden of raising a fourth child. “They claimed poverty forced them to sell the baby,” an officer said. The arrests are part of a wider crackdown on a child trafficking racket that came to light earlier this year. On Jan 29, police intercepted four accused near Ahmedabad airport while they were allegedly attempting to transport a 15-day-old infant to Hyderabad for resale.In Monday’s case, the 10 day-old boy was the daily wagers’ fifth child who they allegedly could not afford to raise. Police said that at least 20 children, mostly from tribal and economically weaker families in north Gujarat districts such as Banaskantha and Sabarkantha, have been trafficked over the past two years.
