A child trafficking case in Madhya Pradesh has taken a disturbing turn after police revealed that a Rajgarh-based businessman and his wife had allegedly bought a two-and-a-half-year-old girl for nearly Rs 1 lakh before abandoning her on a national highway in Sheopur. The couple, who had initially claimed they had adopted the child, allegedly left her on the Tonk-Chirgaon National Highway after branding her “inauspicious”.

Police have arrested six people in the case, including the couple and an Indore-based beauty parlour operator, as investigators widen the probe into a suspected child trafficking network spanning multiple cities.

Couple Arrested in Case

Sheopur police identified the accused as petrol pump operator Akash Moondra and his wife Kritika Moondra. Investigators said the couple abandoned the child near Soikalan on April 18 and later admitted during questioning that they believed the girl had brought financial losses to their business.

According to officials, the couple told police they considered the child “unlucky” and left her outside in the hope that their business fortunes would improve. The child was found alone on the Tonk-Chirgaon stretch of National Highway-552 and was unable to identify herself or her family.

Indore Link Emerges

During investigation, police found that the child had not been adopted through any legal process. Instead, officials said she was allegedly procured through an Indore-based parlour operator who acted as a middle link in the transaction.

Sources indicated that the woman, along with other associates, arranged the transfer of the child to the couple in exchange for around Rs 1 lakh. Following this lead, Sheopur police formed three teams and carried out raids in Indore, leading to multiple arrests.

Police suspect the group may have been involved in trafficking children to families through illegal channels and are now examining whether similar transactions took place earlier.

Caretaker Made Disclosure

The case gathered pace after a Bhopal-based caretaker identified the child through photographs circulated on social media. Babita Navik, who claimed she had looked after the girl, told police she had cared for the child after the couple brought her home as an infant.

She told investigators the girl was around three months old when the couple took her in. Babita alleged that she had been hired to care for the child for Rs 20,000 a month, but was never paid in full. She also alleged that the child was routinely beaten inside the house.

According to her statement, the couple never disclosed where the child had come from or whether they had completed any formal adoption process.

Legal Probe Expands

Police presented the child before the Child Welfare Committee after she was rescued and later shifted her to a One Stop Centre for care and protection. Officials said the child remains under state protection.

Investigators have now added charges related to human trafficking and provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. Police are also trying to establish the child’s biological identity and trace how she first entered the trafficking chain.

Officials said the probe is focused on identifying the original source of the child and determining whether the network sourced children from vulnerable families for illegal sale.

Family Distances Itself

Akash Moondra’s family has publicly distanced itself from him. His brother told local authorities that Akash had been living separately for nearly five years and had no regular contact with the family.

He said the family was unaware of when or how the child had been brought into Akash’s household. He also confirmed that Akash had suffered business setbacks in recent years and had shut some of his petrol pump operations.

Wider Questions Raised

The case has raised fresh concerns over illegal adoption rackets, weak oversight and child protection failures in Madhya Pradesh. It also highlights how superstition, unregulated child transfers and trafficking can intersect in deeply troubling ways.

Police are expected to examine records, financial trails and possible links to similar cases in other cities. As the child trafficking case unfolds, officials say more arrests are possible.

Kuno Cheetahs Spread to 4 States, 12 Now Roam Free in Open Landscape

Six cheetahs have moved beyond Kuno National Park boundaries into Gwalior, Morena, Shivpuri and Rajasthan's Baran district, raising both conservation hopes and human-wildlife conflict concerns.

Cheetahs Cross Park Limits

Twelve cheetahs from Kuno National Park are now living and moving freely in open terrain — half within the park's boundaries and the remaining six well beyond them. Location tracking data has confirmed their presence in forested stretches of Gwalior, Morena and Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, with movement also recorded in the direction of Baran in Rajasthan.

Park management maintains there is no immediate threat. Officials say the movement aligns with the designated natural range carved out for the animals and is being closely monitored.

Villagers Face a New Reality

On the ground, however, residents near Sabalgarh are experiencing a different situation. A video circulating widely on social media showed a villager driving away a cheetah to protect his buffalo — an incident that park authorities have acknowledged as an isolated case, but wildlife observers say points to rising friction between big cats and local communities.

As per reports, such encounters have been increasing in areas adjoining the national park, particularly near settlements where livestock grazing overlaps with cheetah movement zones.

17,000 Sq Km Corridor Approved

To support the long-term expansion of India's cheetah population, the government has formally developed a 17,000 square kilometre "cheetah landscape." This designated zone spans 25 districts across two states — 12 in Madhya Pradesh and 13 in Rajasthan — covering Sheopur, Shivpuri, Morena, Gwalior, Guna, Ashoknagar and several other districts.

Three Sanctuaries to Connect

Wildlife experts indicate the corridor is designed to link Kuno National Park, Gandhi Sagar sanctuary and Mukundara Hills reserve. According to officials, once fully operational, this will allow cheetahs to travel between states without disruption, boosting natural dispersal and genetic diversity within the reintroduced population.

Management Defends Its Approach

Park authorities have pushed back against alarm, insisting that free-ranging movement is a sign of successful acclimatisation rather than a cause for concern. Sources indicated the animals are being moved into areas pre-identified as suitable for natural habitation, and that field teams are tracking their movements in real time.

Officials added that the Sabalgarh video, while widely shared, did not indicate any attack on the villager or the livestock, and that the cheetah retreated without incident.

A Conservation Milestone Under Scrutiny

India's cheetah reintroduction programme, launched in September 2022 with animals brought from Namibia and later South Africa, has seen mixed results. Several cheetahs died in the initial phase from infections and territorial stress. The current milestone of 12 animals roaming freely is being projected by authorities as a turning point, though conservationists stress that community readiness in fringe areas remains a critical gap.

What Lies Ahead

As the cheetah landscape takes shape, the immediate challenge for Kuno management is handling the interface between expanding cheetah territory and human settlements. Sources indicated that compensation frameworks for livestock loss and community awareness initiatives are being reviewed as part of the broader conservation plan. The next phase will test whether India's most watched wildlife story can translate into lasting coexistence on the ground.