Infant trafficking racket busted in Bengaluru, seven 'agents' arrested; doctors' link suspected

Bengaluru: An infant trafficking racket has been busted in the city with the arrest of seven people, Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda said on Tuesday, adding that the involvement of doctors is suspected.

A 20-day old male child was rescued when the gang, whose members are mainly from Tamil Nadu, was seen in Rajarajeshwari Nagar here in suspicious circumstances.

The arrested persons have been identified as Suhasini, Gomathi, Kannan Ramaswamy, Hemalatha, Sharanya, Mahalakshmi and Radha, police sources said adding that a case has been registered at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police station.

The gang was allegedly involved in stealing, and then selling newborn babies at a "high price" to childless couples, and most of the children sold in Bengaluru are suspected to have been brought from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

"It is a big racket in which trafficked babies are sold to childless parents at Rs eight lakh to Rs 10 lakh. An interrogation by the Central Crime Branch revealed that they have sold 10 babies so far,” Dayananda told reporters.

According to him, a large network is behind the racket and it also involves some doctors from Tamil Nadu.

"The gang had been doing it for many years but only recently their activities came to light," the police commissioner said. "We have taken them into police custody and are interrogating them." The gang was also providing forged documents to the childless parents after selling the babies, he added.

To a question on the possible involvement of hospitals and nursing homes, Dayananda said, "It has come to our knowledge that some doctors are also involved in this racket. We are investigating the role of doctors from Tamil Nadu."