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The Andhra Pradesh police arrested three people on Friday, January 9, for child trafficking in the Krishna district. Three children – two girls and a boy– from the Scheduled Tribes (ST) were rescued as part of the operation.
Addressing the media, Krishna district Superintendent of Police (SP) V Vidyasagar Naidu said that the girls were kidnapped a year ago, while the boy was abducted a month ago. “The children are 10 years of age and were sold as labourers in Nandyal district to duck rearers,” he said.
The SP also said that the accused Kandula Edukondalu, his wife K Lakshmi, who are residents of Machilipatnam, kidnapped the children with the help of T Prasad, a resident of Nandyal district’s Annavaram village.
Acting on a missing complaint of the boy’s grandfather, the Krishna police registered an FIR under Sections 137 (kidnapping), 127 (wrongful confinement) and Section 143 (trafficking), read with Section 79 (Exploitation of a child employee) of the Juvenile Justice Act and Child Labour Act, 1986.
“Parents of the girl children are yet to be traced and are currently in a state-run shelter home. The boy has been handed over to his parents. A fourth accused in the case is absconding,” the SP added.
Further investigation is ongoing.