Indian Brother kidnapped Child for his Sister and Husband

An Indian brother has been arrested for abducting a young child for his sister and her husband. The couple then sold the toddler to a woman looking to adopt.

Officers discovered that it was an operation being run by the trio. The incident happened in Girinagar, Bengaluru.

Police arrested the 40-year-old eight months after he kidnapped the child in March 2019.

The couple were arrested at an earlier date but were released. Police identified the suspects as Anitha, her husband Sandeep Kumar and her brother Lokesh.

Lokesh had kidnapped a three-year-old boy on March 14, 2019, and handed him over to his sister and brother-in-law.

They later sold the boy to a woman for Rs. 1.5 Lakh (£1,600).

While the police managed to rescue the child and arrest the couple, Lokesh went on the run. His family members did not know where he went.

However, Lokesh was arrested on November 10, 2019, after he phoned his wife asking her to meet him.

Officers seized his phone and found pictures of five young boys. It was revealed that Lokesh had a price for each child and planned to kidnap them in order to sell them on to childless couples looking to adopt.

He was assisted by his sister and her husband.

One investigating officer said: “Lokesh is an auto driver and a carpenter by profession. His sister Anitha and her husband work in a garments factory at Chikkagolarahatti.

“Anitha’s colleague, Radhamma, who did not have children sought Anitha’s help for adopting a child.

“Anitha discussed the matter with her brother and seizing the opportunity, Lokesh contacted Radhamma and told her that he knew a poor couple selling their child for money.

“He convinced her that this was a better method as going through the adoption agency would take up to five years.

“He gave her options to choose and the price of each kid.”

After Radhamma selected the boy, Lokesh abducted the child while he was playing with his older brother.

Lokesh distracted the older boy by giving him money to buy chocolates. When he returned, he saw his little brother being taken by Lokesh in a vehicle.

He ran after the car but could not catch up. The boy told his parents who informed the police.

CCTV footage managed to identify the Indian brother and it was revealed that Radhamma had purchased the child. The boy was later rescued.

An officer said: “After the boy was rescued, Lokesh managed to escape, while Anitha and her husband were taken into custody.

“The couple had moved to the High Court alleging police harassment claiming that they had no role in the kidnapping.

“As a result, they were unable to arrest the couple and Lokesh remained at a hideout in Kadabagere.”

“After eight months of patiently following up on the case, the police managed to nab him when he called his wife. The police kept a close watch on Lokesh’s wife and followed her to Nelamangala, where she had gone to meet Lokesh.

A case has been registered and further investigations are underway.