In an appalling incident, a principal of a reputed school in Bankura town was found allegedly involved in a child trafficking racket.

Infuriated locals dragged the accused Kamal Kumar Rajoria, principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya- a central government-sponsored institution- out of his office within the school premises along with seven others and handed them over to the police last night.

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Five kids aged between nine months and six years were rescued and shifted to a government home shelter. Bankura district court today remanded the accused principal, four members of the racket to five days of police custody and three others were sent to jail custody.

Rajoria tried to flee when a car was intercepted in which a baby was being transported for trafficking but was caught immediately. Ananya Chakraborty, chairperson of, state child welfare committee expressed her concern to DM, Bankura K Radhika Aiyar today asking her to furnish details of the incident.

The DM said: “The children have been rescued and shifted to Home and the police already have begun a probe.” Rajoria, while being taken to the court said: “Charges against me are false and fabricated.” The Vidyalaya, a unit of a Centre sponsored system of CBSE affiliated chain of schools runs its Bankura chapter at Kalpathar locality on the NH-60 within Bankura-1 block.

Rajoria joined as the principal from his previous posting in Rajasthan four years ago. He, according to the police: “Became a frequenter to Kada Road red-light areas in Durgapur city where he met one Ria Badyakar, a 23-year-old pimp and mother of five children.”

Ria accompanied by her brothers and mother came to Rajoria’s place with her nine-month-old baby last evening. Police investigations revealed the principal had negotiated a ‘deal’ for allegedly selling the baby to one Susma Sharmaa teacher in the same school, a childless woman.

The police said: “At Rs 2.20 lakh the baby was sold to Sharma and we have recovered Rs 1.75 lakh of the amount from Ria’s house last night.” Rajoria’s lawyer Rathin De said today: “Ria is a poor woman and her husband deserted her. To get the kids some help, she voluntarily had taken her children to Rajoria’s place.”