2 held as Delhi Police busts child adoption racket

Delhi Police have busted an inter-state racket that allegedly duped couples seeking to adopt children — primarily boys — by posing as facilitators of legal adoptions and arrested two men, including a physiotherapist from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, officers said on Monday

Delhi Police have busted an inter-state racket that allegedly duped couples seeking to adopt children — primarily boys — by posing as facilitators of legal adoptions and arrested two men, including a physiotherapist from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, officers said on Monday. The accused are suspected to have cheated around 25 people.

Following a woman’s complaint, an e-FIR was registered at north district’s cyber police station. (Photo for representation)

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia said that the accused a 46-year-old and his associate a 52-year-old were both residents of Bareilly.

Police said that the case came first to light on November 4 last year after a 30-year-old woman from Burari filed a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP), alleging that she was cheated of ₹1.37 lakh by men who promised to arrange the adoption of a baby boy.

“The woman had searched online for child adoption services when she came across a mobile number. The caller was the 46-year-old and claimed to represent an organisation that facilitated child adoptions. He assured her that a baby boy would soon be available and claimed the expected delivery date was November 3 in 2025,” an investigator said.

“When the complainant insisted on meeting the biological mother, the accused refused, citing organisational policy, and assured her that she would meet her only after the child’s delivery,” a police officer said. On the scheduled delivery date, the accused allegedly demanded additional money for transporting the baby and, after receiving the payment, stopped responding to calls, said police. The victim then decided to lodge a complaint.

Following the complaint, an e-FIR was registered at north district’s cyber police station.

Police said that the team then analysed call detail records of nearly 100 mobile numbers and IMEI numbers, tracked financial transactions across multiple bank accounts and examined digital footprints, including Google account details, IP logs and records obtained from platforms such as Flipkart, Swiggy and Blue Dart.

Police said the accused frequently shifted locations across different states to evade arrest. “Sustained technical surveillance eventually traced them to Bareilly, where coordinated raids were carried out on July 31, leading to the arrest of two accused,” Banthia said.

During interrogation, the 46-year-old allegedly admitted that he carried out the fraud in conspiracy with the 52-year-old, a physiotherapist by profession, who allegedly prepared the forged documents.

Police recovered two mobile phones, five SIM cards, a bank passbook, six debit cards, two PAN cards and 14 stamps purportedly belonging to hospitals and doctors.

“We have found that the accused were operating for about 9-10 months in 2025 before they realised that a complaint had been lodged against them. We have so far found 100 credit entries and about 25 victims who have been cheated by them,” the officer said adding that the victims have made transactions from across the country.

According to police, the accused advertised online claiming they could arrange legal child adoptions through multiple organisations. “Once contacted, they allegedly collected money in stages while continuously sharing forged documents to maintain the victims’ trust. In several instances, they even persuaded prospective adoptive parents to purchase baby clothes before disappearing with the money,” the officer said.