Representative image of a child rescued from trafficking.
Credit: iStock Photo
Delhi Police has busted an interstate child trafficking racket and arrested eight persons, including five women, officials said on Tuesday.
Two persons were arrested from Delhi and six others were arrested following raids in Punjab, they said.
Police said that on February 20 at Begumpur police station, they received information regarding sale and purchase of newborn babies in the area.
"A team was formed immediately to investigate the matter. The team rushed to the given address and verified the facts of the call," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Guriqbal Singh Sidhu said.
The officer further said that the team reached a house, where two women had a newborn girl child.
"When questioned, they could not give satisfactory replies about the parentage of the child. Later, they disclosed that they operate an interstate human trafficking gang which buys and sells newborn babies in different states. The girl child was purchased from Muktsar in Punjab for Rs 50,000 and waiting for a buyer," the DCP said.
Police said that an FIR was registered into the matter and the team arrested both the women. The DCP said that police investigated further to nab other members of the gang involved in the trafficking of babies.
"Multiple raids were conducted in Punjab and six other members of the gang, including three women were arrested. One of the accused women was found to have been involved in human trafficking previously," Sidhu said.
The accused have been identified as Piyush Aggarwal from Delhi, Rajinder and Raman from Punjab. Police said five women, two from Delhi and three from Punjab, have also been arrested. Further investigation is in progress, they said.