Vulnerable parents, couples seeking male child targeted: Delhi Police on trafficking probe

The probe so far has revealed that the “desire for a male child” was one of the key factors driving several couples to allegedly bypass the legal adoption process and purchase infants through the syndicate, according to investigators.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said that sustained questioning of the accused, technical surveillance and financial analysis helped investigators dig deeper. “The investigation has revealed that the accused were part of a well-organised network that procured infants from vulnerable biological parents and supplied them to childless couples in different states for substantial monetary consideration. We have also unearthed financial transactions involving several lakhs of rupees,” Singh said.

According to Singh, investigators have identified some of the biological parents involved in the racket. “No IVF or surrogacy angle has emerged during the investigation so far. The syndicate allegedly operated on a demand-and-supply model by identifying couples seeking children outside the legal adoption process and connecting them with vulnerable parents willing to part with their infants for money,” he said.

Eight people who have been arrested recently have been identified as Jyoti, an ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker from Gurgaon, who allegedly acted as a mediator; Shankar Gamar, a mediator who allegedly sourced infants from biological parents; Sugnaben Gamar and her husband Kantibhai Gamar of Gujarat, who allegedly sold their newborn son; Ketki Gupta, who allegedly purchased a one-month-old baby boy for around Rs 4 lakh; Ram Prakash Nishad, a retired teacher from Mathura, who allegedly bought a male child in 2025; Abha Singh from Haridwar, who, along with her husband Amit Pratap Singh, allegedly procured an eight-month-old baby boy for around Rs 5 lakh.

Even as several biological parents allegedly sold their infants for money, one woman had approached the accused after an unintended pregnancy, said police. According to investigators, she believed she was giving up the child “for free” and was unaware that the infant would later be sold through the trafficking network. But she terminated the pregnancy and turned into a witness.
Officers said the investigation has also uncovered financial links between the accused. They alleged that transactions made by a couple from Haridwar were traced to a bank account operated by an accused identified as Pratibha, who was arrested earlier in the case.

All nine rescued children, officers said, have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee, which has issued directions regarding their care, protection and rehabilitation. Police said further investigation is underway to identify other members of the syndicate, trace the remaining financial transactions and make further arrests.

The probe into the alleged racket gained momentum when the Anti Narcotics Cell of the Central district allegedly intercepted three accused near RK Ashram Metro Station during a decoy operation on June 5. Police claimed the trio was attempting to sell a newborn infant to decoy buyers. A four-to-five-day-old baby boy was rescued and Rs 20,000, allegedly paid as token money during the operation, was recovered. An FIR was subsequently registered at Paharganj police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Juvenile Justice Act.

Given the scale and sensitivity of the case, Delhi Police constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional DCP-II Prashant Chaudhary.