Delhi Police Bust Child Trafficking Racket in Kashmere Gate, Rescue 4-Day-Old Infant
Delhi Police have busted an interstate child trafficking racket with the arrest of five women and the rescue of a four-day-old infant near Hanuman Mandir in Yamuna Bazar, Kashmere Gate. The arrests were made following a targeted decoy operation conducted by a special team, police officials announced on Saturday.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia, the operation was launched after police received specific intelligence about a 30-year-old woman and her associates arriving in the Kashmere Gate area to sell a newborn baby. To catch the accused in the act, police deployed a male and a female officer posing as prospective buyers.
At around 10 pm on August 7, the decoy officers approached the primary suspect and negotiated a deal to buy the newborn for Rs 6.5 lakh. The undercover officers handed over Rs 20,000 as token money to finalize the deal. Following the exchange of cash, the woman called four of her associates waiting across the road. One of the women crossed over carrying the four-day-old baby wrapped in a blanket. Once the decoy officers confirmed the presence of the child and gave the predetermined signal, a waiting police team moved in and arrested all five women.
Police identified the accused as women aged 30, 38, 40, 32, and 31 years old. Investigators noted that two of the arrested women are sisters. The rescued infant was immediately transported to Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital for medical examination and care. Authorities also alerted the child helpline and the Child Welfare Committee to initiate proper rehabilitation and care protocols for the infant.
Initial investigations revealed that the gang had purchased the newborn from an acquaintance in Ghaziabad for Rs 4.10 lakh before attempting to sell the baby in Delhi at a higher price. The gang reportedly purchased infants from economically weaker families for between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh and resold them to prospective buyers for profit.
Police said the syndicate had been operating for around three years and had previously trafficked four to five children. The group also targeted poor women by offering them money to undergo surrogacy through IVF procedures. Once the women gave birth, the accused allegedly took custody of the newborns and sold them to clients.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Juvenile Justice Act. Police teams are continuing their investigation to trace other infants previously sold by the syndicate and identify the couples who bought them.
