AHMEDABAD: An eight day old baby was rescued while allegedly being transported from north Gujarat to Mumbai for sale, after the Vadodara City Crime Branch busted an interstate newborn trafficking racket and detained a couple carrying the infant on July 28.
The operation unfolded late on July 28, when the Crime Branch received specific information that a man and woman were carrying a newborn in a bus parked near Legend Hotel on National Highway 48, allegedly with the intention of selling the child.
A police team immediately reached the spot and detained Manoj Rawal, 38, and his wife Veena Rawal, 32, residents of Mehsana district. The couple was found with their eight year old son and the newborn boy.
When the couple failed to provide satisfactory answers about the baby, police moved swiftly to secure the infant's safety and shifted him to SSG Hospital for medical care.
The subsequent interrogation began to reveal a wider trafficking chain.
According to investigators, Veena's brother Sunil Rawal had brought the newborn to the couple's house on July 27. Police found that the baby had been born on July 5 at Danta Hospital in Banaskantha.
Investigators suspect the trafficking network allegedly preyed on the financial difficulties of the baby's poor parents. The child was allegedly arranged for sale in Mumbai for Rs 3 lakh, with the money divided among different layers of the network.
Under the alleged arrangement, Rs 2 lakh was to be paid to the baby's parents, while Sunil Rawal was to receive Rs 10,000 as commission. Manoj and Veena were allegedly promised another Rs 20,000 for transporting the newborn to Mumbai, while Sunil gave the couple Rs 5,000 towards travel expenses.
The police investigation has also exposed an unusual Mumbai link. The alleged main agent presented himself as a doctor while communicating with the network through WhatsApp calls and providing instructions about where the baby was to be taken.
Investigators have identified the man as Sohil Nadab, a Mumbai based auto rickshaw driver who allegedly posed as a doctor.
According to police, Nadab was supposed to receive the newborn from the couple and hand him over to a woman broker, who would then allegedly facilitate the child's transfer to a doctor in Mumbai.
The alleged chain involved several layers, from vulnerable parents and local intermediaries in north Gujarat to transporters and brokers connected with Mumbai.
Police questioning has now widened the scope of the investigation. During interrogation, Sunil Rawal allegedly revealed that three other newborn babies born to women from Banaskantha had been sold to three different Mumbai based agents over the past one and a half months.
The revelation has prompted the Crime Branch to launch a broader interstate probe.
Police teams have been dispatched to different locations across Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to trace the absconding accused and establish the full extent of the network.
Investigators are particularly looking for two alleged key accused originally from Modasa who are now living in Mumbai and are currently absconding.
An investigating officer said the probe is focused on identifying every link in the chain, including the parents, intermediaries, transporters and Mumbai based buyers or brokers involved in the alleged transactions.
The officer said the investigation is not limited to the rescued infant, as the alleged disclosure about three other newborns has raised serious questions over whether the racket was operating systematically across districts.
The baby's biological parents have been brought before the Crime Branch for questioning. Police are also planning DNA testing to establish the child's parentage and verify the circumstances under which he was handed over to the intermediaries.
Once the newborn recovers, he will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee, which will decide the appropriate course of action regarding his custody and protection.
