Child trafficking racket busted in Delhi, 4-day-old infant rescued

A child trafficking racket has been busted with the arrest of five women and the rescue of a four-day-old infant, police said on Saturday

A child trafficking racket has been busted with the arrest of five women and the rescue of a four-day-old infant, police said on Saturday.

Child trafficking racket busted in Delhi, 4-day-old infant rescued

Police said the accused allegedly purchased the infant from a couple belonging to the economically weaker section for ₹2- ₹4 lakh and sold it to prospective buyers for a higher amount. Police said the gang also facilitated surrogacy through IVF and took possession of the child after delivery and sold it to a potential buyer.

“Police received a tip-off about a 30-year-old woman and her associates arriving near Hanuman Mandir in Yamuna Bazar, Kashmere Gate, to sell a newborn,” said DCP (North) Raja Banthia.

To nab the accused, police sent a male and a female officer posing as buyers. “Around 10pm on August 7, they approached the accused and negotiated a deal to purchase a newborn for ₹6.5 lakh and paid ₹20,000 as token money, following which the accused called four women across the road. One of them was carrying the infant wrapped in a blanket. After the decoy customers signalled, a police team nabbed all five women,” said the DCP.

The other accused were a 38-year-old, a 40-year-old, a 32-year-old and a 31-year-old woman.

Police said a case was lodged under the Juvenile Justice Act and BNS sections for child trafficking.

The probe found that the infant was bought with the help of an acquaintance in Ghaziabad for ₹4.10 lakh and handed over to the 30-year-old for sale to a suitable buyer.

Police said the gang had allegedly been involved in trafficking newborns for around three years and had supplied 4-5 children to customers in the past.

The gang also targeted poor women and offered to arrange surrogacy through IVF in return for money. After the women gave birth, the accused allegedly took possession of the newborns and sold them to suitable buyers.

Police said two of the accused are sisters, and a probe is underway to trace the sold babies and the couples involved.