CID rescues 10 babies, digs out skeletal remains

Kolkata: A criminal investigation department (CID) team rescued 10 babies from an old age home in Thakurpukur late on Thursday, even as skeletal remains of two babies were dug out on Friday morning from the backyard of the NGO, which has been involved in the trafficking of babies.

The state detective agency is now planning to include murder charge in the case. The 10 newborns, all females aged between one and ten months, were recovered from the third floor of Purbasha, an old age home at Badra Road in Thakurpukur’s Kolagachhia. They were shifted there by one of the prime accused in the case, who is still at large.

Two women were detained from that centre for questioning. One of them, Reena Banerjee — owner of the centre — was later arrested. She is the daughter of one of the accused, Putul Banerjee, who was earlier arrested by the CID from her nursing home at James Long Sarani in Behala. With her arrest, the total number of accused held in the case rose to 15.

Late Friday night, CID arrested another accused, Bimal Adhikari (61), at Hanspukur in Joka. the owner of Joka Millennium Old Age Home and Rehab Centre, which came under the agency’s scanner for its role in the case.  With this, the total number of those arrested has reached 16.

The raid took place shortly after the babies were smuggled to the centre from different private nursing homes. The officers found the babies, wrapped in shawls, lying on the floor.

On Friday, additional director general of police (CID) Rajesh Kumar said, “The newborns were admitted to ESI Hospital where their condition is stable. We are trying to ascertain where these babies were born and their parents’ identities. We suspect that more than 50 newborns were trafficked via Purbasha in the past. During our investigation we received an information that some babies were buried in the land of the NGO, Sujit Memorial Trust, at Machhlandapur in Baduria.”

“To verify, our team went there and exhumed two newborns’ skeletal remains from the ground. Based on the findings of the post-mortem reports, murder charge will be added in the case if required. We are working very hard in our investigation as the racket is wide spread involving many nursing homes and middlemen also,” the CID chief said.

The two newborns, following their death, were buried in two separate places at a distance of 50 metres at the backyard by the NGO officials. Local residents alleged that the babies were buried there seven months ago.

Meanwhile, the CID recovered Rs 15,000 in cash, foreign currencies in Euro, US dollar, Hong Kong dollar and some valuable coins from Partha Chatterjee, an arrested nursing home owner.