The Uttar Pradesh police on Wednesday revealed that a nurse, working at a medical college in Bareilly, acted as the kingpin of a child trafficking racket, that came to light after a recent abduction of a toddler from a temple complex.
According to police, the child trafficking gang targeted vulnerable women and arranged newborns for illegal sale in the Bareilly district.
Action under the Gangsters Act would be initiated against the accused and efforts were underway to identify and attach their illegally acquired properties, police said.
The racket came to light following the rescue of one-and-a-half-year-old Rishabh, who was abducted from Manauna Dham temple complex on May 24.
The police arrested two alleged abductors, Yogesh Kannaujia and Pawan Singh, on May 26 after an encounter and recovered the child.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed that they had been offered Rs 60,000 to abduct a child for a childless couple.
Further investigation revealed a wider network involving alleged middlemen and fake medical practitioners, the police said.
According to the police, Uttam Bajpai, a resident of Lakhimpur, allegedly coordinated the abduction after receiving instructions from alleged fake doctors Sanjay Vishwas of Sitapur and Keshav Ram alias Manjesh of Maigalganj in Lakhimpur Kheri.
The police alleged that Vishwas and Ram arranged children for the network and that the abducted toddler was supposed to be handed over to Sita, a nurse working at a medical college in Bareilly, who has emerged as the alleged main supplier in the racket.
Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said the accused were allegedly running child theft and trafficking activities as an organised crime.
"Since the accused were carrying out this activity in an organised manner, action under the Gangsters Act will be initiated against them," he said.
Sita, originally from Badauns district's Dataganj and currently residing in Mirganj, allegedly had links with several private hospitals and IVF centres across the country, the police said, adding that her call records are being analysed to ascertain the extent of the network.
Investigators suspect that the gang allegedly approached unmarried pregnant women who came to hospitals secretly, assured them of assistance during delivery, and later sold the newborns.
According to the police, members of the network allegedly performed different roles, with some identifying potential cases, others arranging children and intermediaries connecting them with prospective buyers.
The earlier investigation had revealed that Yogesh and Pawan had conducted reconnaissance at fairs and markets in Bareilly and Shahjahanpur before abducting Rishabh.
The police had said the alleged gang leader had refused to accept the toddler after learning his age, as the child was old enough to remember his biological parents.
Superintendent of Police (South) Anshika Verma said investigation had indicated possible links of the gang with multiple private medical facilities and IVF centres.
The police said six identified accused have been arrested following the arrest of Yogesh and Pawan on May 26 and more members are suspected to come under the scanner as the investigation progresses.
Teams are also being sent to Lakhimpur, Sitapur and other districts to trace the accused's alleged associates and identify properties suspected to have been acquired through illegal means, officials said.
(With inputs from PTI)