The CBI has busted a racket of child traffickers by arresting seven members who were selling children to childless couples through social media ads and rescued two infants during the operation, officials said Saturday.
Based on an input, the CBI on Friday evening started a search operation at seven locations in Delhi and Haryana when two infants—1.5-day-old and 15 days old—were found by the agency sleuths which the gang was planning to sell, they said. The CBI nabbed seven members of the gang who were later arrested by the agency.
The arrested are Neeraj of Sonipat and Indu Pawar of Delhi's Paschim Vihar, Aslam of Patel Nagar, Pooja Kashyap of Kanhaiya Nagar, Anjali of Malviya Nagar, Kavita and Ritu.
The gang allegedly contacted childless couples desirous of adopting babies through advertisement, on social media platforms like Facebook page and WhatsApp groups. "They allegedly purchase babies from real parents as well as surrogate mothers and thereafter sell the infant children at prices ranging from Rs 4 to 6 lakh per child. These accused are also allegedly involved in duping many childless couples of lakhs of rupees by creating fake documents related to adoption," CBI spokesperson said about the operation. During searches, the CBI seized Rs 5.5 lakh cash and other documents.
The agency has booked 10 people including the arrested accused under various penal provisions of IPC and also of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 on allegations that a network of infant children traffickers are involved in buying and selling of infants across India for the purpose of adoption as well as for other illegal purposes.