Child Trafficking Ring Busted in Ahmedabad, Sarpanches Named as Brokers

An organized child trafficking network has been dismantled in Ahmedabad, with investigators tracing its roots to impoverished villages in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Village chiefs, known as sarpanches, allegedly acted as brokers by recruiting children from poor families and facilitating their illegal movement. The trafficked children were reportedly forced to beg at high-footfall locations such as temples and traffic signals. Authorities have so far identified 276 trafficked children as part of the investigation. Criminal cases are being prepared against those responsible, while efforts are underway to rehabilitate the rescued victims.