During the searches, the CBI confiscated Rs 5.5 lakh in cash and other papers.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained seven persons in Delhi and Haryana for allegedly running a child trafficking ring that sold children to childless couples using social media ads on Facebook and WhatsApp. The agency also rescued two newborns during the operation.
According to police, the suspects reportedly bought the infants from their parents and surrogate moms and sold them for between Rs 4 and Rs 6 lakh each.
“Based on an input, the CBI launched a search operation at seven sites in Delhi and Haryana on Friday evening, during which two infants—1.5 days old and 15 days old—who the gang was trying to sell were discovered by agency sleuths. The CBI apprehended seven members of the group and later detained them, according to a CBI spokesperson.
“The arrested individuals include Neeraj of Sonipat and Indu Pawar of Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, Aslam of Patel Nagar, Pooja Kashyap of Kanhaiya Nagar, Anjali of Malviya Nagar, and Kavita and Ritu. The gang allegedly targeted childless couples interested in adopting babies via adverts on social media platforms such as Facebook pages and WhatsApp groups,” the spokeswoman stated.
“… These accused are also allegedly involved in duping many childless couples of lakhs of rupees by creating fake documents related to adoption,” a spokesperson went on to say.
“The agency has booked 10 people, including the arrested accused, under various penal provisions of the IPC and 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,” a spokesperson for the agency said.
