Police investigating the abduction of a four-year-old boy from Banaskantha district in Gujarat earlier this month, have busted an inter-state child trafficking racket by apprehending its kingpin from Telangana, officials said on Monday (April 20, 2026).
The gang, known as the “Murugan Gang”, was allegedly involved in trafficking newborn babies from Gujarat, Delhi, Telangana, and Maharashtra, and selling them at high prices. So far, police have established the abduction and sale of at least five children.
On April 6, a four-year-old boy, who was abducted from Vadgam [Banaskantha], was rescued, leading to the arrest of two suspects by Banaskantha Police. During interrogation, investigators uncovered a wider network linked to the crime. Technical intelligence later indicated that another key suspect was operating from Telangana.
Main accused with two accomplices arrested
"Police tracked down the main accused, identified as Bodashu Nagraju alias Murugan, through technical analysis and arrested him and two of his accomplices, Kasrapu Tirupathi and Keleti Gangarajan. They are residents of Telangana," said Banaskantha Superintendent of Police Prashant Sumbe.
