Four-year-old boy kidnapped from UP’s Hathras rescued from Andhra Pradesh four held

Hathras (UP), May 15 (PTI) A four-year-old local boy kidnapped a week ago has been rescued from Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada, leading to the arrest of four people on Thursday, with police terming it a case of human trafficking.
    Superintendent of Police (SP) Chiranjeev Nath Sinha said four-year-old Kavish was kidnapped while he was playing outside his home on May 9.
    Following a complaint, multiple police teams were formed, and CCTV footage was examined to track the suspects across several states, he said.
    The arrested have been identified as Monu Pathak and his wife Neha Pathak from Hathras, and Maddi Patla Raghavendra and his wife Subba Lakshmi from Andhra Pradesh, the SP said.
    Three mobile phones, two ATM cards and an Aadhaar card were recovered from their possession, the officer said.
    “This is not merely a kidnapping case but also a case of human trafficking,” Sinha said.
    The accused are part of a gang that allegedly kidnaps children after contacting families and finalising deals for their sale, he said.
    The gang comprises over a dozen members and is suspected to have trafficked at least eight children from different states, he added.
    Further investigation is underway, police said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)