NEW DELHI, JUN 20 (AGENCIES): Delhi Police have busted an inter-state infant trafficking racket and rescued five newborn babies, leading to the arrest of several individuals, including a hospital owner accused of facilitating the illegal trade.
The racket allegedly procured infants, some only four to five days old, from underprivileged families in Rajasthan and Gujarat and sold them to childless couples in Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. According to police, baby girls were sold for Rs 3-4 lakh, while baby boys fetched between Rs 6-8 lakh.
The operation began after police received information about a woman frequently seen with different infants in Delhi’s Paharganj area.
Acting on the tip-off, police conducted a decoy operation and arrested a woman identified as Jyoti alias Kamlesh while she was delivering a baby to an undercover officer posing as a prospective buyer.
Subsequent investigations exposed a wider trafficking network involving multiple states. Police arrested several alleged traffickers and recovered five infants, all less than a month old.
Investigators identified Hira’s Multispeciality Hospital in Rohini, West Delhi, as the alleged hub of the operation. The hospital’s owner, Dr. Viveki, has been accused of forging birth certificates and other documents to facilitate the illegal sale of babies.
Police said the gang trafficked at least 30 infants over the past year. Authorities are now tracing the biological parents of the rescued children to determine whether the infants were sold willingly, coerced from their families, or abducted.
The rescued babies have been placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee and are currently housed at its Palna Centre. Further investigation is underway.
Monday, July 13, 2026