NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police has busted an inter-state child trafficking syndicate operating across multiple states and arrested 13 people, including alleged traffickers, middlemen buyers and a hospital owner, in connection with it. Five infants have been rescued so far, an official said.
The operation began on June 5, when police conducted a decoy operation near RK Ashram Metro Station in Paharganj. Officers posing as prospective buyers caught three accused persons, Jyoti alias Kamlesh, Shalu and Lalit, who were allegedly attempting to sell an infant boy.
The cops rescued the infant and recovered Rs 20,000 paid as token money by the decoys. Following the rescue, an FIR was registered at the Paharganj police station under Sections 143(4), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
According to the police, the sustained interrogation and technical investigation of the accused revealed that they were part of a larger organised inter-state child trafficking syndicate engaged in procuring infants from various sources and illegally selling them to childless couples for money.
Investigators found that the network operated across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The infants were sourced through a chain of suppliers and mediators, transported across states and sold after forged documents were prepared to establish fake parentage.
Police also identified Jyoti as a key coordinator of the network. Another accused, Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia, allegedly supplied infants from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Pratibha, a freelance lab technician, and Vipin, a driver accused of facilitating transportation and deals. Cash worth Rs 2.92 lakh, allegedly intended for purchasing another newborn, was recovered.
Another revelation was the alleged involvement of Dr Viveki, owner of Heera Multi Speciality Hospital in Begampur. Police claimed the hospital acted as a hub for illegal adoptions, where trafficked infants were sheltered, prospective buyers identified and forged birth and medical records generated to legitimise the transactions.
Four additional infants were rescued from Panipat and Gwalior, taking the total number of rescued children to five. Police believe four of the infants are tribal children.
“All rescued babies have been placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee as investigations continue to identify their biological parents and uncover the full extent of the trafficking network,” said a police official.
Inter-state racket
Newborn boys were allegedly being sold for Rs 7 lakh-8 lakh and girls for Rs 3 lakh-4 lakh
Infants were allegedly procured for Rs 20,000 to Rs 2 lakh before being resold
The racket was exposed through a decoy operation near RK Ashram Metro Station
The network allegedly operated across five states using forged documents
