Three babies are saved as the CBI uncovers a child trafficking organization; seven are detained

A group of child traffickers who were reportedly engaged in the sale and acquisition of newborns across India for the purpose of adoption as well as other illicit activities have been nabbed by the CBI.

Three infants were saved and seven people were taken into custody after search operations around Delhi and Haryana, according to a CBI spokeswoman. Those rescued included a one-month-old girl and two male newborns, ages 1.5 and 15 days, according to the agency.

According to the investigation, the accused utilized Facebook and WhatsApp ads to get in touch with childless couples who wanted to adopt children. They reportedly paid between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6 lakh per kid for the children they bought from parents and surrogate moms. Neeraj, the mastermind, is from Sonepat; Indu Pawar is from Delhi’s Paschim Vihar. Both are among the detained.

The children’s care was entrusted to their acquaintances, Aslam from Patel Nagar, Pooja Kashyap, Kavita, and Ritu. The CBI said that Anjali from Malviya Nagar used to bring clients. Following the searches, a cache of Rs 5.5 lakh in cash was seized by the CBI. Under different provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Indian Penal Code, the CBI has filed a formal complaint (FIR) against ten individuals, including those who have been arrested. The defendants were also reportedly engaged in forging adoption-related paperwork in order to deceive other childless couples out of thousands of rupees.