Babies in Chennai, used for begging at traffic lights, rescued

Three babies rescued from begging women at traffic junctions in Mylapore, handed over to police and CWC for investigation.

Three babies who were being used by women for begging at traffic junctions, were rescued by social activists and residents near the Kutchery Road signal in Mylapore on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, and handed over to the Mylapore police.

The police are awaiting directions from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) before proceeding further with the case.

A senior official of the Chennai City Police on Thursday, July 11, said that a group of social activists led by advocate Stalin Abimanyu have been tracking a group of women with small babies begging at various traffic signals in the city. On Wednesday, the social activists found three women with three babies along with an elderly couple near the Kutchery Road signal junction in Mylapore. A police team from Mylapore station detained the three women with the babies and the couple, and informed CWC members.

The CWC, after conducting an inquiry, directed the Mylapore police to hand over the three babies to the custody of Bala Mandir Kamaraj Trust in T. Nagar. The CWC told the three women to produce birth certificates to prove the babies belonged to them. They are yet to produce the birth certificate, the police official said.

The police said that during investigation, the three women, who said they were from Rajasthan, claimed the babies belonged to them and the elderly couple were their relatives.