Mumbai, Aug 16: The Mumbai Police busted an international child trafficking racket and arrested its kingpin who allegedly sent 300 Indian kids to the US. The accused, Rajubhai Gamlewala aka Rajubhai, is a resident of Gujarat and used to charge Rs 45 lakh for one kid from its US-based client. He allegedly started child trafficking racket in 2007.

According to the police, Rajubhai Gamlewala and his gang members would search for a poor family ready to sell thier child. “Finding it difficult to take care of them, their parents or or guardians would sell them,” an officer told Times of India. They would also find families willing to rent out their children’s passports.

Once they get passports, they would send the kid with stronger resemblance with the picture on the passport to the US. They would use make up to make it more real. They would then pay a carrier to take the child to America. After the carrier returned from the US, the passport would be returned to the original holder.

The police is probing how the passport would be stamped by immigration without being caught by officials. Actor Preeti Sood helped the police to bust the international child trafficking racket. In March, she received a call from a friend that two minors were being applied make up at a salon.

“I went there on a suspicion that the girls were being readied for brothels. But once there, I realised that the racket was bigger than I thought," Sood was quoted as saying. She said when she inquired she found three men suspicious and asked them to come with her to the police station.

I managed to stop two of the men and called the police. Meanwhile, the third escaped with the girls,” Sood added. The police arrested them and managed to nab two more people involved in the racket. Rajubhai Gamlewala was arrested with the help of a WhatsApp number he used to communicate with his accomplices, said the report.

The accused have been booked under the IPC’s sections 34 (common intention) and 373 (buying minor for purposes of prostitution).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 16, 2018 03:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).