Mumbai Crime: Baby selling racket busted, lab technician among 8 arrested

According to the police, the accused targeted new mothers from economically weaker sections and would offer to arrange ‘adoption’ of their child.

The Mumbai Crime Branch, on Saturday, arrested 8 people, including a pathology lab technician, for selling babies in the guise of ‘adoption.’

The racket came to light after officers from crime branch received specific information that a woman in Bandra (East) had sold her child. Discreet enquiries were made and eventually, the accused were arrested.

According to the police, the accused targeted new mothers from economically weaker sections and would offer to arrange ‘adoption’ of their child. Rs 60,000 for a baby girl and Rs 1.5 lakh for a boy.

Eight mobile phones from the accused have been recovered and the police hopes that call or chat record might help them to trace the families, the babies were sold to.

While preliminary investigations say that four babies were sold in the last six months, police suspects that the number can be much higher.

The accused have been identified as Arti Singh, Rupali Verma, Rukshar Shaikh, Nisha Ahire, Heena Khan, Geetanjali Gaikwad, Shahjahan Jogilkar, and Sanjay Padam. Singh, a lab technician, and Verma were ‘agents’, while Khan and Ahire were ‘sub-agents’ in the baby-selling racket, Times of India reported.

The accused have been booked under have been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections of human trafficking and the Juvenile Justice Act.

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