Three arrested as police suspect child trafficking racket in Hubballi-Dharwad

DHNS Last Updated : 28 July 2026, 00:37 IST

The illegal adoption came to light recently, after the 15-year-old girl conceived for the second time in the last one-and-half years. 

Hubballi: Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissionerate has arrested three persons on charges of selling and buying a child born to a minor.

The illegal adoption came to light recently, after the 15-year-old girl conceived for the second time in the last one-and-half years. The police arrested Abdul Kareem Soudagar, who is accused of sexually assaulting the girl multiple times; Jiyavul Nasawale, accused for mediating the ‘deal’ and Manjunath Surangekar, accused of buying the infant.

Initially, the police had registered a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO). However, when the officials of District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) started interacting with the survivor, they came to know that this was her second pregnancy and the first child was missing.

During the investigation both the victim and her parents were giving contradictory information about the case and were seen as protecting the accused.

The first baby was delivered at a private hospital in early 2026 and sold within days. The minor is said to be now in her first trimester of second pregnancy.

Second such case

The 15-year-old is not the first one in her family to deliver the child before attaining the age of 18.

Her cousin, a 14-year-old, had delivered a child on July 8, 2026. Both the cases came to light after the 14-year-old girl developed medical complications after delivering a child at home. Police are yet to make any arrests in this case. 

Both the cases have now made the police officials and DCPU to believe that a deeper child trafficking racket is operating in twin cities.

While officially, the district hasn’t recorded any case of child trafficking recently, officials believe that there could a network of this illegal activity.

“The trafficking of 15-year-old girl’s child has shown that there is an active child trafficking network in the region,” says District Child Protection Unit Officer Prakash Kodliwad.

He says in 2025-26, the district reported seven minor girls delivering child or undergoing medical termination of pregnancy; and in 2026-27, three cases of minors conceiving a child have been reported. One case pertains to conceiving a child out of child marriage, he said. 

A senior police official informed DH that they have intensified investigations in possibilities of child trafficking or illegal baby-selling syndicates. Kodliwad says illegal adoption is a crime and will lead to legal consequences. “There are legal means to adopt a child and the department is willing to help any such parents.”