Child trafficking gang busted; four held, two babies rescued
New Delhi, April 10
The Delhi Police have busted a child trafficking gang operating near Sonia Hospital in Nangloi, revealing a distressing scheme. Two infants, one as young as 15-20 days old, were rescued from their clutches.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer District, Jimmy Chiram, said, “On April 2, at 6 pm, we received information about a child trafficking gang near Sonia Hospital in the Nangloi police station area.” Acting swiftly, a police team apprehended a male and three females, one of whom was carrying a baby girl barely two weeks’ old, en route to an undisclosed location.
The police have registered a case under Sections 370 (trafficking of persons) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and 81 (sale and procurement of children for any purpose) of the Justice Juvenile Act.
The rescued infant, traced back to Fazilka in Punjab, narrowly escaped being sold for a considerable sum. The parents of the rescued baby were informed. The accused confessed to targeting impoverished families, snatching their children, and selling them on. They had acquired the rescued baby girl from Punjab and attempted to sell her in Uttar Pradesh, but couldn’t find a customer. Later, they took her to Delhi, but got caught, the official said.
Further investigation led to the discovery of another victim, a three-month-old baby girl sold in Chandigarh for Rs 2.5 lakh. A rescue operation ensued, successfully retrieving the child from a couple in Chandigarh on the intervening night of April 9 and 10.
The accused, identified as Gurmeet Singh (41), Hasmeet Kaur (37), Mariyam (30) and Naina (24), are currently under investigation by the police.
Additionally, recent raids conducted by the CBI at seven locations in Delhi are indicative of the concerted efforts to eradicate this abhorrent crime.
