‘Baby selling racket’ probe widened across Punjab, neighbouring states: SSP

Police said that this gang of traffickers would ferry babies in a fake ambulance so that if police intercept the vehicle on the way, they would evade checking claiming that the baby was being taken to hospital for treatment. Police have also recovered Rs 4 lakh from the accused.

The arrested includes Baljinder Singh of Bhadso, Amandeep Kaur of Patiala, Lalit Kumar of Patiala, Bhupinder Kaur, Sajita of Bihar, Harpreet Singh of Muktsar (who was currently living in Dhanas of Chandigarh) and Harpreet Singh of Barnala.

Patiala SSP Varun Sharma said that probe conducted till now suggests that the gang had sold at least five infants in the past. “We are now trying to trace those babies, their biological parents and the couples who bought them. Two infants, a boy and a girl, who were meant to be sold for at least Rs 4 lakh each, have been recovered. One of them was bought from Nabha. We are trying to trace those couples who were paying money for these two infants. The probe has been widened across Punjab and neighbouring states. We have also arrested the biological mother of one of the infants.”

The SSP said that both recovered infants were 7-8 days old. “An Innova vehicle which was being used as a fake ambulance has also been recovered,” the SSP added.

An FIR was registered under Sections 370 (5) and 120-B of IPC and Section 81 of Juvenile Justice Act at Sadar Samana police station.