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AP raises reward for information
on child racket prime accused

The Andhra Pradesh Government has raised the reward to Rs 500,000 for clues on the whereabouts of Savithriamma, promoter of an adoption home and prime accused in a child trafficking case.

Announcing the hike in reward, the additional director-general of police, Crime Investigation Department, said in a statement on Wednesday night that the CID, which is investigating the adoption racket, has formed three special teams to nab Savithriamma, president of the John Abraham Memorial Bethany Home at Tandur.

Savithriamma, 59, has been absconding since April 6, after the Karnataka police registered a case of forgery and cheating against Bethany Home. On April 21, state Child Welfare Department officials raided Bethany Home and rescued 60 infants and children from there. The children were shifted to the government-run Sisu Vihar at Hyderabad. Another six children were rescued from a hideout maintained by Savithriamma in the city and six employees were arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

The Rangareddy police filed a criminal case against Savithriamma. The case was entrusted to the CID here, even as the state government announced a reward of Rs 100,000 to anyone giving information leading to her arrest.

Savithriamma moved a bail petition in the Karnataka High Court last week in connection with two cases booked against her by The Gulbarga police and the Corps of Detectives for child trafficking and procurement of children from tribal villages in Karnataka. The bail application was to come up on May 3 for orders.

However, CID sources here maintained that the bail application moved by Savithriamma in the Karnataka high court has no bearing on cases registered against her in Andhra Pradesh. So far, she has not moved a bail application in the state high court here.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked the CID to track down Savithriamma. He also pulled them up for not placing advertisements seeking clues on her whereabouts. The hike in reward was announced following this.

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