Hyderabad, April 22 -- An interstate child trafficking racket has been busted following the kidnapping of a four-year-old boy, Dev, in Gujarat earlier this month, with investigators uncovering links to Telangana.

According to police, the child was abducted on April 6 and was allegedly being trafficked for a sum of around Rs 1.5 lakh. A swift investigation led to his rescue and exposed a wider network involved in the illegal trade of children across multiple states.

Officials said the racket operates through a chain of agents and middlemen who source, transport and sell children, including newborns, to buyers in different parts of the country. Preliminary findings indicate that the network has links to Telangana, among other states.

Pol...