Sitapur (UP), Mar 29 (PTI) Police have rescued a 3-year-old boy who was allegedly kidnapped from here and sold to a couple in Andhra Pradesh, officials said on Saturday.

According to police, Karthik Maurya was kidnapped on December 27 last year from the Gulzar Shah Mela area, a senior police official said. He was handed over to his family on Saturday.

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Superintendent of Police Chakresh Mishra said that Maurya had gone to the 'mela' with his mother and family, and went missing while they were purchasing goods at around 5.00 pm.

Based on the family's complaint, a case was registered against unknown persons at Biswan police station, Mishra said.

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During the investigation, the police found that Karthik was sold to a family in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. On March 19, police teams were sent to rescue the boy and bring him home safely, Mishra added.

Police investigation revealed the involvement of an inter-state gang that used to kidnap children and sell them to childless couples, the SP said.

Two women involved in the human trafficking racket have been arrested, while two men -- Abhay Verma and Umashankar -- have been booked, the SP added. Further investigation is underway.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)