Delhi: Police bust gang selling newborn babies, infant rescued
The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested five women and two men for allegedly selling newborn babies in the national capital. The gang had reportedly been bringing infants from Jharkhand to sell to couples who were unable to conceive. A baby boy being sold for Rs. 6.5 lakh was also rescued by police officials.
The accused have been identified as Bablu Shah, Barkha, Veena, Madhu Sharma, Jyoti, Pawan, and Salma Devi, all aged between 28-50 years. A team from the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) received a tip about the sale of an infant and lured the accused by posing as a decoy customer, who were then arrested when they came to hand over the baby.
Police said that one of the accused, Jyoti, worked at an IVF clinic and used her job to make contact with couples who were unable to conceive. Jyoti and the fellow accused used to make quick money by selling infants to such couples, the police claimed. A man named Qutubuddin brought newborns from Jharkhand and handed them over to Salma Devi.
The operation to nab the gang also resulted in a baby boy being rescued by the Delhi Police. A two-and-a-half-month baby, who was being sold for Rs. 6.5 lakhs by the accused was recovered by the team of 'decoy customers.' Jyoti had bought the child to Uttam Nagar with gang members Barkha and Bablu Shah, and nabbed them as soon as money was exchanged.
The police are currently on the lookout for the eighth accused, Qutubbudin, who was the gang's link to Jharkhand. Security officials are also investigating if children were stolen from these families or sold by them to the accused. "We raided Qutubuddin's home but he managed to escape. We are on the lookout to understand where the children came from," police officials told News18.
