Newborn stealing racket: Role of one NGO, some police officers under scanner

The district police on January 30 had arrested Manjinder Singh, and his wife Parwinder Kaur — both residents of Faridkot — and Charanbir Singh, and his wife Sakshi, both residents of Patiala, for being part of a racket that was involved in stealing and selling newborns.

Police said that Parvinder Kaur alias Sakshi and her husband Charanbir Singh were produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Jagjeet Singh on Tuesday and were sent to two additional days of police remand.

The police told the court that the custodial interrogation of both the accused was needed as a fresh complaint of organ trafficking was lodged against them by a Chandigarh-based woman.

The police on Monday said they had received another complaint from a woman — one Roma Rani of Dhanas in Chandigarh — which stated that accused Sakshi and Sunny Kumar [the kingpin of the racket] had bought two children from a hospital in Mansa last year.

Sources in the police told The Indian Express that during interrogation, Sakshi had confessed that the two infants whom she had got from a private hospital in Mansa had later died. She had also allegedly confessed that she had got the children because she wanted to further sell them.

Meanwhile, it had also come to light during police investigations that Sakshi was the vice-president of an NGO called Step to New Life. Investigators believe that this NGO was being used to cover for her illegal trade.

“We shall look into the activities of the NGO. Everything will be clear after a thorough probe,” a police officer said.

Meanwhile, Roman Rani who had lodged a complaint with the district police last year alleging organ trade by the accused, has also claimed in her complaint the possible involvement of three police officials posted in CIA of Samana in Patiala district.

Roma Rani in her complaint has alleged that Samana CIA in-charge, Inspector Vijay Kumar, and two Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Beant Singh and Pargat Singh, had connived with the main accused Sunny Kumar and extorted money from people who had bought children from the gang. Sunny at present is on the run.

Contacted, all the officers, however, refuted allegation and alleged a conspiracy against them by Roma.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Inspector Vijay Kumar, while refuting the allegations, said that Roma’s friend Sukhwinder is an accused in an FIR which they had registered on December 5 last year.

“Sukhwinder is a criminal and was running the racket. In order to counter the FIR, Roma had lodged a false complaint against me,” Inspector Vijay alleged.

Kumar also stated that a complaint was already pending against Roma with Mansa police.

ASI Beant Singh, who is the Investigation Officer (IO) in the FIR registered by Patiala police against Sukhwinder Singh, too refuted the allegations made against him by Roma in her complaint.