Child trafficking: Delhi Police arrest 8 more, 2 infants rescued

The Delhi Police have arrested eight more people, including the biological parents of trafficked infants, and rescued two more children linked to the interstate child trafficking case, taking the total number of arrests so far in the matter to 23 and children rescued to nine, investigators said on Friday

The Delhi Police have arrested eight more people, including the biological parents of trafficked infants, and rescued two more children linked to the interstate child trafficking case, taking the total number of arrests so far in the matter to 23 and children rescued to nine, investigators said on Friday.

The two infants rescued in the latest operation were traced to different locations outside Delhi (Photo for representation)

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said the latest arrests include biological parents, alleged traffickers, middlemen and buyers. Investigators have also uncovered a money trail worth several lakh rupees, he added.

The two infants rescued in the latest operation were traced to different locations outside Delhi as investigators expanded the probe into what police described as a “well-organised child trafficking network operating across Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand”.

“The syndicate allegedly procured newborns from biological parents in financial distress or unwilling to raise the child, and then sold them to childless couples for ₹4 lakh to ₹8 lakh each,” Singh said.

Police said no evidence of an IVF or surrogacy racket has emerged so far and that the network matched willing biological parents with prospective buyers through middlemen.

Among those arrested are alleged mediator Jyoti alias Kamlesh, an ASHA worker from Gurugram; Shankar Gamar, who allegedly sourced infants from Gujarat; and the biological parents of one of the rescued infants from Sabarkantha district in Gujarat.

Police also arrested several buyers from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, besides the owner of a private hospital who allegedly facilitated the illegal procurement and sale of infants. DNA tests of the biological parents are awaited, police said.

The case came to light on June 5 when police conducted a decoy operation near RK Ashram Metro station and arrested three accused allegedly attempting to sell a newborn boy to decoy customers. The infant was rescued and ₹20,000 paid as token money was recovered. An FIR was subsequently registered at Paharganj police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act.

An SIT headed by an additional deputy commissioner of police was later constituted to probe the case. Technical surveillance, interrogation of the accused and analysis of financial transactions led investigators to what police described as a larger interstate syndicate.

Police said all nine rescued children have been produced before the child welfare committee, which has issued directions for their care, protection and rehabilitation.