Two women held for attempting to sell newborn for Rs 4.5 lakh in Mumbai

Mumbai: Two women have been arrested for allegedly trying to sell a newborn girl for Rs 4.5 lakh in the central suburb of Sion here, police said on Tuesday.

The social service (SS) branch of the Mumbai police apprehended Julia Fernandez (35) and Shabana Shaikh (30) while they were trying to sell the 15-day-old infant at a nursing home in Gandhi Market area of Sion on Sunday, an official said.

According to the police, the complainant, Jayprakash Jadhav, who is working with an adoption centre in Pune, received information that a woman from Mumbai was looking to sell a newborn and he alerted the woman and child welfare authorities in Pune.

The Mumbai police were informed about this and the SS branch set a trap. During a telephonic conversation with the complainant, Fernandez had demanded Rs 4.5 lakh, of which Rs 4 lakh was to be given to the biological parents of infant, while rest were her charges she had claimed, the official said.

Fernandez asked the complainant to come to the nursing home and when he reached there with a woman constable posing as his wife, the infant was brought out and as soon as the money was handed over, the two women were nabbed, the official said.

The accused have been booked under charges pertaining to human trafficking and under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said.

The investigations have revealed that Fernandez had been arrested by Mankhurd and Wadala police for similar offences in the past, the official said.

Fernandez has claimed that the newborn belongs to a couple in Delhi, who left the baby in her care, he said, adding that the police have initiated a search for the parents.