VISAKHAPATNAM: The city police on Thursday arrested two more persons, including a doctor, in connection with the child trafficking case for allegedly selling a newborn, after informing the mother of the infant that she gave birth to a stillborn.
The arrested were identified as Dr Ch Padmaja, DGO of Padmaja Hospital, Seethammadhara and N Nooka Ratnam, a resident of Cheedikada mandal in Visakhapatnam district.
Addressing mediapersons here on Thursday, Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar Meena said that after the Universal Srushti Hospital child trafficking case came to light on July 26, they received a complaint from a woman Ch Venkata Lakshmi from Chodavaram on July 30. In her complaint, Venkata Lakshmi said when she was pregnant, she visited a private hospital at Chodavaram for medical check-up in November last. She said she met Nooka Ratnam who introduced himself as a doctor from Universal Srushti Hospital in Visakhapatnam and promised to perform the delivery free of cost.
Police said that after the child trafficking case came to light, Venkata Lakshmi suspected that she also might have been cheated and filed a complaint with the police.
Following the complaint, the police undertook further investigation and conducted searches at Universal Srushti Hospital and Padmaja Hospital. The Commissioner said Venkata Lakshmi underwent C-section on January 31 at Padmaja Hospital, where the woman had given birth to an underweight baby girl. The infant was referred to neo-natal care at another hospital for incubation.
“However, the hospital staff informed Venkata Lakshmi that she had given birth to a stillborn,’’ Meena said. Later, the baby was sold to a couple from Chodavaram in the garb of surrogacy.
The Commissioner said they would give the baby to child welfare committee before handing over the infant to her biological parents.
Namrata in 2-day police custody
Dr Namrata was sent to two-day police custody
As many as 63 surrogacy deliveries recorded at the Universal Srushti hospital
“We are yet to ascertain how many babies were sold,” the Commissioner said