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All-women baby selling racket in Trombay: Police initiate process to invoke MCOCA against six accused
Police in Mumbai are invoking the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against six women accused of selling newborn babies to childless couples. The women, including a bogus doctor and a chain of agents, were arrested after a decoy negotiated the sale of a baby girl for INR5 lakh ($6,800). The investigation led to the arrest of a further three women and the rescue of a 46-day-old baby girl. One of the accused, Julia Fernandes, has allegedly been involved in six similar cases in the city.
Mumbai: A month after a baby-selling racket was busted in Trombay, the police have started the process of invoking stringent sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against six women who were arrested for allegedly selling newborn babies to childless couples.
The accused have been identified as Goribi Usman Shaikh, Shabana Zhakir Shaikh, Gulabasha Mateen Shaikh, Julia Fernandes, Saiarabano Nabiullah Shaikh, and Rina Nitin Chavan.
Last month, Sharad Nanaware, sub-inspector, Trombay police station, received a tip-off that a woman doctor, Saiarabano, was selling newborn babies. “After verifying the details, a decoy was sent to negotiate with Saiarabano, who demanded ₹5 lakh for a newborn baby girl,” deputy commissioner of police Hemraj Rajput said.
After the deal was finalised, a trap was laid, and Saiarabano as well as Chavan were arrested when they came to deliver a 5-day-old baby girl to the decoy, Rajput said, adding, “During the interrogation, we unearthed that Saiarabano was a bogus doctor who studied up to SSC. She acquired a fake certificate of radio pathology from Delhi and started practising in Rahimani Hospital in the Rafiq Nagar area, Govandi, a year before the incident.”
According to the police, Saiarabano was in touch with Fernandes, who ran a chain of agents and kept track of poor parents wanting to sell their newborn babies. “Fernandes convinced poor pregnant women to sell their babies after luring them with financial help,” said a police officer.
During further investigation, Saiarabano and Chavan revealed the names of two other women agents, Goribi and Shabana, who brought the baby girl. “Goribi and Shabana were also arrested, and they revealed that they worked for Fernandes and identified poor pregnant women residing in Mankhurd, Govandi and neighbouring areas. The duo also revealed the name of the baby girl’s mother, Gulabsha, who was also arrested in the case,” added Rajput.
Fernandes came to know that her associates were arrested, hence she fled to Delhi, the police officer said, adding, “Based on technical evidence, we arrested her in the last week of September.”
Nanaware said the police unearthed that Gulabsha’s younger sister’s baby girl was sold a few days ago. “We rescued the 46-day-old baby girl from the residence of Fernandes’ driver. Fernandes and Sairabano took the baby girl, however, the negotiation with the buyer had failed, and therefore Fernandes had kept the baby girl at her driver’s residence, convincing him that the baby’s mother was not well and was getting treatment in a hospital,” he added.
Fernandes has allegedly been involved in six more similar cases registered in the city. She was arrested in 2017 in Wadala for selling a newborn baby. Her name again cropped up in 2020 when Unit 9 of the Mumbai crime branch busted a similar racket and she was found involved in it as well. In 2021, she was arrested by Mankhurd police in a similar case. Two more cases were registered against her in Thane and Antop Hill police station. Most of the women agents arrested in the case have been involved in a racket with Fernandes in the past cases, said Rajput.
