Mumbai: Cops arrest main agent in baby-selling racket

Each individual earned between Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 by selling the baby. Representation pic

The Matunga police have arrested the main agent in the recently busted baby-selling racket, who allegedly sold five infants. The police suspect that each person involved in the racket earned Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 while the couple taking the baby would be charged Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The matter came to light on December 12, after the police received information that a mother allegedly sold her infant for Rs 1 lakh. Subsequently, the police arrested nine women in the case while the baby was rescued from Karnataka.

After questioning the nine women, the police arrested 52-year-old Abdulkarim Dastagir Nadaf, a resident of Hukkeri, Karnataka. "During interrogation, one of the accused - Baby Tamboli, 50 - revealed that her husband has been playing an active role in the syndicate and we arrested him. This is a serious offence and we are investigating the matter," said Ragasudha R, deputy commissioner of police (Zone IV).

According to the police, Tamboli revealed that her husband was actively involved in making deals with the client and was allegedly the main agent. "She said they had been married for three years and in a relationship for a decade. We suspect that the couple sold many babies. Nadaf has no criminal record against him," said the officer.

With Nadaf's arrest, it was revealed that the syndicate had allegedly sold five babies - two each in Maharashtra and Gujarat, apart from the one recovered from Karnataka. "Two baby girls and two baby boys have been sold. One baby is in Aurangabad, one is in Pune, and two are in Gujarat. Efforts are being made to rescue them," DCP Ragasudha R added.

The syndicate allegedly used public transport to move the babies to the couples and were in touch with each other via social media platforms. "With the investigation underway, we will not reveal the name of the app but all the accused have been in touch with each other on that app. They coordinated to book tickets to transport the baby from one region to another. So far we have arrested 10 individuals but the number may increase as the investigation progresses," the officer told mid-day.

"Each individual involved in the racket earned between Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 by selling the baby. They charged their clients anywhere between Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The price of the baby was decided according to the needs of the client… they treated infants as if they were some commodity," he added. The police have booked and arrested the 10 individuals.