A child born in Rajasthan, trafficked to Delhi and sold to another couple in Haryana for a few lakh rupees — all within a span of a few days. A child's life and destiny allegedly decided by poverty, desperation and the greed of criminals.
Delhi Police have busted an interstate child trafficking racket that allegedly procured newborn babies, some just four to five days old, from underprivileged families and sold them to childless couples across several states for lakhs of rupees.
The latest breakthrough came when police rescued a 20-day-old baby boy and arrested businessman Satish Jain and his daughter-in-law Garima Jain for allegedly purchasing the infant for ₹8 lakh. The baby was rescued from Rohini's Sector 3 and has been placed in a child-care home. Garima's husband is currently absconding.
The arrests are part of a wider investigation into a trafficking syndicate that police believe sold at least 30 babies over the last one to two years.
So far, Delhi Police have arrested 13 people, including a hospital owner, a lab technician, traffickers, mediators, transporters and alleged buyers. Six infants have been rescued.
How the racket was busted
The investigation began after a resident of Paharganj in Central Delhi alerted police about a woman who was regularly seen carrying different infants.
Police scanned CCTV footage, activated local intelligence networks and tracked the woman, identified as Jyoti alias Kamlesh.
Investigators soon suspected she was involved in child trafficking.
To catch her red-handed, police launched a decoy operation. A woman police officer posed as a prospective buyer looking to purchase a child. A deal was negotiated and a token amount of ₹20,000 was agreed upon.
On June 5, Kamlesh allegedly delivered an infant to the undercover officer and was arrested on the spot.
Her interrogation exposed a large interstate trafficking network.
The trafficking network
Kamlesh's questioning led police to her associates Shalu and Lalit, followed by Pratibha and Vipin, who were allegedly responsible for procuring infants and negotiating sales.
Police arrested Pratibha and Vipin while they were on their way to meet another supplier. Nearly ₹3 lakh in cash was recovered from them.
Further interrogation revealed that newborn babies were allegedly sourced from poor families in Rajasthan and Gujarat and sold to childless couples in Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
According to investigators, economically vulnerable families were allegedly paid between ₹1.5 lakh and ₹2 lakh for their newborn babies.
The infants were then sold to buyers for anywhere between ₹6 lakh and ₹9 lakh.
Different rates for boys and girls
Police investigations revealed a disturbing pricing structure within the racket.
- Girl child
- Procured for around ₹1 lakh to ₹1.5 lakh
- Sold for ₹3 lakh to ₹4 lakh
- Boy child
- Procured for around ₹2 lakh
- Sold for ₹6 lakh to ₹8 lakh
Investigators said male infants fetched significantly higher prices due to higher demand among prospective buyers.
Hospital at the centre of the racket
The investigation eventually led police to Hira's Multi Speciality Hospital in Begampur, Rohini.
According to Delhi Police, the hospital functioned as the nerve centre of the entire trafficking operation.
Among those arrested were hospital owner Dr Viveki, freelance lab technician Pratibha and alleged mastermind Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia, a native of Rajasthan's Udaipur who was residing in Gujarat.
Police claim Dr Viveki acted as the key link between traffickers and buyers.
According to investigators, newborns were housed inside the hospital while forged documents were prepared to create the impression that the babies had been legally born there.
Fake birth certificates, delivery records, invoices and hospital documents were allegedly generated to facilitate the illegal transfers.
"A majority of the infants were kept at Viveki's hospital after fake records were prepared to show they were born there. The babies were concealed, medically attended to and prepared for illegal transfer to prospective buyers," an investigator said.
The supply chain
Police say Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia played a key role in sourcing babies from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Investigators allege that he purchased infants from poor families in Rajasthan's Pali district and Gujarat's Sabarkantha region before routing them through Delhi.
The babies were then allegedly sold through contacts linked to the hospital.
Authorities are now trying to establish whether the biological parents sold the children willingly, were coerced into doing so, or whether some babies were abducted.
Police have warned that parents found to have knowingly sold their children may also face legal action.
The 'twin babies' scam
One of the most shocking revelations from the investigation involves a couple seeking to buy a baby boy.
Police said the trafficking network had a girl child they were struggling to sell.
The gang allegedly offered the couple both a boy and a girl, falsely claiming they were twins.
The infants were unrelated and had been sourced from different places.
The couple allegedly paid ₹9 lakh for the two babies.
Buyers also under scanner
Investigators have traced multiple families who allegedly purchased children through the syndicate.
A couple from Panipat in Haryana and another from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh have already been identified and apprehended.
Police say buyers who knowingly participated in the illegal transactions will also be prosecuted.
Rescue of the 20-day-old infant
The latest rescue was made after investigators examined hospital records, forged documents, call-detail records and statements of the accused.
The trail led police to a family in Rohini that allegedly purchased a newborn on June 5.
A raid was conducted on Monday, resulting in the rescue of a 20-day-old baby boy.
Investigators said the family allegedly came into contact with Dr Viveki through an intermediary and paid ₹8 lakh for the child.
Investigation continues
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Devesh Chandra Srivastava said the operation has been underway for more than three weeks and more arrests are expected.
Police believe the gang trafficked at least 30 infants over the last year or two and are now working to identify other babies sold by the network.
The six rescued infants, all less than a month old, have been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and are currently being cared for at its Palna centre.
Authorities are continuing efforts to trace the biological parents of the rescued children and uncover the full extent of what investigators describe as one of the most organised child trafficking networks uncovered in recent years.
