In a shocking case of child trafficking, Maharashtra police thwarted an attempt to sell a 45-day-old baby girl for Rs 4 lakh in Thane district. Among those arrested are the infant’s mother, Rekha Balu Sonawane, along with three accomplices who allegedly orchestrated the sale. The operation was carried out on Tuesday, following a tip-off that led police to set up a sting with a decoy customer in Kalyan, on Mumbai’s outskirts.

The decoy, posing as a buyer met the group near a local hotel where they demanded Rs 4 lakh. As soon as the money was handed over, police moved in and arrested Rekha Sonawane, Vaishali Kishore Sonawane (35), Deepali Anil Dusing (27) and Kishore Ramesh Sonawane (34).

The mother who reportedly relies on begging for survival admitted to her desperation due to financial hardship. She disclosed that she was struggling to support her four children after her husband abandoned the family and remarried. Authorities have since transferred the rescued infant and her 5-year-old brother to a shelter in Dombivli while their two older sisters, aged 9 and 7 are now under care at Nila Balsadan in Ambernath.