Delhi Police Bust Interstate Child Trafficking Syndicate, Rescue Five Infants

New Delhi — Delhi Police have busted an interstate child trafficking syndicate and arrested 13 people, including alleged traffickers, mediators, buyers and a hospital owner, while rescuing five infants from Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.

Police said the investigation uncovered an organized trafficking network operating across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The hospital owner allegedly helped facilitate illegal adoptions and arranged fabricated documents to support the illegal transfer of infants.

Authorities recovered Rs 20,000 used as token money during a decoy operation and Rs 2,92,400 allegedly intended for the purchase of a newborn child. Police also arrested the alleged main supplier of infants from Gujarat after technical surveillance and sustained investigation.

According to police, the case began on June 5, when a team from the Operations Unit of Delhi’s Central District acted on specific intelligence and conducted a decoy operation near RK Ashram Metro Station in the Paharganj area.

During the operation, police arrested Jyoti, also known as Kamlesh, Shalu and Lalit while they were allegedly attempting to sell a newborn infant to decoy customers arranged by the police. A male infant, about four to five days old, was rescued safely.

An FIR was registered at Paharganj Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act. The investigation was assigned to W/SI Pragati of the Operations Unit, Central District.

During interrogation and technical investigation, police found that the accused were allegedly part of a larger interstate syndicate involved in procuring infants from various sources and illegally selling them to childless couples for large sums of money.

Police identified Jyoti, 37, a resident of Tilak Nagar, as the main trafficker and coordinator of the network. She allegedly obtained infants through intermediaries. Investigators said one of the primary suppliers was Saybabhai Ghamar, also known as Kalia, who allegedly sourced newborns from Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Based on information provided by Jyoti, police arrested two more accused, Pratibha and Vipin, while they were allegedly on their way to arrange another infant. Police recovered Rs 2,92,400 in cash from them, which investigators believe was meant to purchase a newborn.

The investigation also found the alleged involvement of Omwati, a domestic worker from Gurugram, who police said acted as a mediator and helped arrange infants for the network.

Police said one of the key findings was the alleged role of Dr. Viveki, owner of Heera Multi Speciality Hospital in Begampur, Delhi. She allegedly kept trafficked infants at her hospital and identified potential buyers among childless couples seeking fertility-related treatment.

Investigators said fabricated medical and supporting documents, including hospital records, delivery documents and birth-related papers, were allegedly prepared to falsely establish parentage and facilitate the illegal transfer of infants.

Police said the syndicate operated through suppliers, mediators, transporters, facilitators and buyers. Infants were allegedly procured from different states, transported to Delhi, concealed, medically attended to and then transferred to prospective buyers.

According to police, the children were allegedly procured for about Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh each and sold for Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh.

Police said Shalu, 43, of Tagore Garden, was allegedly associated with Jyoti and involved in handling and delivering infants. Lalit, a resident of Laxmi Nagar, was also allegedly involved in trafficking transactions.

Pratibha, 34, of Goyla Vihar, holds a master’s degree in MRIT and works as a freelance laboratory technician. She was associated with Heera Multi Speciality Hospital and allegedly acted as a facilitator in the procurement and sale of infants.

Vipin, 33, of Kutub Vihar, allegedly worked as a driver and facilitator, transporting syndicate members during infant procurement operations.

Police also arrested Mukesh and Reema Pal, a couple from Gwalior, for allegedly purchasing two trafficked infants. Sunny Arora and Ritu Arora of Panipat, Haryana, were arrested for allegedly purchasing a trafficked infant. Sarika, 38, also of Panipat, was arrested Thursday for allegedly purchasing another trafficked infant.

A four-month-old male infant and another male infant were rescued from Panipat. Two infants — a male and a female, both about 27 days old — were rescued from Gwalior.

Ghamar, originally from Udaipur in Rajasthan and currently living in Sabarkantha, Gujarat, was arrested Wednesday. Police identified him as a major supplier of infants to the syndicate from Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Police said four of the rescued infants belong to tribal communities, while one infant is from Delhi. (Source: IANS)