Delhi Police have busted a sprawling inter-state child trafficking syndicate, arresting 12 people, including the owner of a private hospital accused of facilitating illegal adoptions through fabricated medical records, officials said on Thursday.
Five infants were rescued from Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh during the operation.
The breakthrough came following a decoy operation conducted by the Operations Unit near RK Ashram Metro Station in Paharganj on June 5. Acting on specific intelligence, police apprehended three accused — Jyoti alias Kamlesh, Shalu and Lalit — while they were allegedly attempting to sell a newborn boy, aged around four to five days, to decoy customers.
The infant was rescued safely, and Rs 20,000 paid as token money during the operation was recovered. An FIR was subsequently registered at Paharganj Police Station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act.
Investigators later uncovered an extensive child trafficking network operating across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. According to police, the syndicate procured newborn babies through suppliers and intermediaries before selling them to childless couples for lakhs of rupees.
A key development in the case was the arrest of Dr Viveki, owner of Heera Multi Speciality Hospital in Begampur. Police alleged that she played a crucial role in the racket by sheltering trafficked infants at her hospital, identifying prospective buyers among couples seeking fertility treatment and facilitating illegal transfers through fabricated hospital and birth-related documents.
Investigators said the syndicate operated through a structured network of suppliers, mediators, transporters, facilitators and buyers. Infants were allegedly sourced from different states, transported to Delhi and later handed over to buyers after forged records were prepared to falsely establish legal parentage.
During the investigation, police arrested Pratibha, a laboratory technician associated with the hospital, and Vipin, a driver who allegedly transported syndicate members and infants. A cash amount of Rs 2.92 lakh, allegedly intended for purchasing another newborn child, was recovered from them.
Police also arrested Omwati, a Gurugram-based domestic worker accused of acting as a mediator in arranging infants for the network.
Among those arrested were Mukesh and Reema Pal of Gwalior, who allegedly purchased two trafficked infants, and Panipat residents Sunny Arora, Ritu Arora and Sarika, who are accused of purchasing trafficked children from the syndicate.
Further investigation identified Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia as a major supplier of infants to the network. He was traced and arrested in Gujarat on June 17 through technical surveillance and sustained tracking efforts.
Police rescued four additional infants during the investigation — two from Panipat in Haryana and two from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Along with the newborn rescued in Delhi, the total number of rescued infants stands at five.
Investigators have found evidence suggesting that infants were purchased for Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh and later sold for amounts ranging from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 9 lakh. One infant was allegedly sold for about Rs 6 lakh, while two others were allegedly sold for around Rs 9 lakh.
All five rescued children have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee, which has issued directions for their care, protection and rehabilitation.
Police have recovered the five infants, Rs 20,000 used during the decoy operation, Rs 2.92 lakh allegedly meant for purchasing a newborn child, and several hospital and birth-related documents that are currently under examination.
