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Surat flat raid exposes trafficking of newborn girl, Maharashtra woman, kin arrested

According to Surat police, the baby's mother, her brother and aunt were arrested based on the inputs provided by two other women, who had allegedly sent messages to people regarding a sale offer of a newborn for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

2 min readSuratFeb 3, 2026 05:13 PM IST

The Surat police detained two women as they failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or documents for the newborn. (Representational image)

The Surat police had on Monday arrested a young woman and her two relatives from Maharashtra, in connection with the alleged sale of a 10-day-old baby girl to two women in Surat.

The arrested were an 18-year-old woman who is the mother of the newborn, her brother, Deepak Bhotkar, 23, and her aunt, Anita Gnaneshwar Bhotkar, 47. They were remanded in Chowk Bazaar police’s custody till Wednesday by the Surat district court, officials said.

According to the police, the three were arrested based on the inputs provided by Sonawane and Mishra, who had allegedly sent messages to different people regarding a sale offer of a newborn for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh.

According to N G Chaudhary, Chowk Bazaar police inspector, the mother of the baby had an affair with a boy while she was staying at her aunt’s place in Maharashtra. “She became pregnant and later delivered a baby girl at her aunt’s residence. Worried about their family status, the young woman’s aunt contacted her friend Laxmi Sonawane, who had agreed to take custody of the newborn. Sonawane and her friend Anjali Mishra, who owned a flat in Surat, went to Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar and took the baby to Surat,” he said.

Based on a tip-off, the Surat Crime Branch sleuths raided a flat on Ved Road last month, and found the baby in the possession of houseowner Anjali Mishra, 33, a native of Uttar Pradesh, and her friend Sonawane, 44, a resident of Jehangirpura and native of Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar. The police detained the women as they failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or documents for the newborn.

During interrogation, the women confessed to the police regarding the sale advertisement of the baby, and subsequently, they were arrested under Sections 143(1) and 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on January 30.

Acting on the details provided by the women, a police team reached Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar and arrested the three people.

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“We are trying to dig out more details about the incident,” inspector Chaudhary said.

Kamal Saiyed

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More

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