Four Arrested in Bengaluru for Forcing Thirteen Children Into Begging

Police in Bengaluru arrested four individuals from other states and rescued 13 minor children who were allegedly being forced to beg at traffic junctions across the city. The operation took place following a coordinated raid conducted by the Central Crime Branch Women Protection Wing and the Social Welfare Department.

The crackdown highlights ongoing concerns regarding organised exploitation networks targeting vulnerable minors in urban centres across Karnataka. Law enforcement agencies have intensified surveillance on major thoroughfares where children are frequently deployed to solicit money from motorists.

According to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, the operation was executed on October 12 after receiving a specific tip-off. Informants alerted authorities that several individuals had set up temporary encampments inside makeshift huts on the footpath beneath the flyover near Kogilu Cross, falling under the jurisdiction of the Yelahanka police station.

During the raid, police personnel detained four suspects hailing from outside Karnataka for questioning. Investigators stated that during custodial interrogation, all four suspects confessed to keeping the minor children with them and deploying them across various traffic intersections in Bengaluru to collect money.

The suspects were subsequently transferred to the Yelahanka police station along with formal investigative reports to facilitate further legal proceedings. Police initiated formal cases under relevant penal statutes concerning child exploitation and trafficking.

Meanwhile, the 13 rescued minors, which include toddlers and teenagers, were presented before the Child Welfare Committee. Officials from the social welfare apparatus have launched inquiries to verify the backgrounds of the children and locate their biological relatives.

Authorities stated that further investigations will focus on determining whether the suspects operated as part of a larger interstate trafficking network. The rescued minors will remain under state protective care while background verification and family tracing procedures continue.