Kolkata: The criminal investigation department (CID) busted a child trafficking racket at Machhlandapur in Baduria of North 24 Parganas on Monday night and arrested eight accused, including an NGO owner, a nursing home owner and a private clinic owner.
Police rescued three newborns, one of whom was later handed over to his parents following identification. Two others were admitted to sick neo-natal care unit at Basirhat Hospital, officials said.
Police identified the arrested as Satyajit Sinha, owner of an NGO, Subodh Memorial Trust; Asadul Zaman, owner of Sohan Nursing Home; Bakbul Baidya, owner of Baidya Clinic; his wife Nazma Bibi, allegedly the main trafficker; Nazma’s employee Utpala Byapari alias Poly; two clerks at Basirhat Court Prabhat Sarkar and Jhantu Biswas; and Amirul Biswas, a quack.
Four of them — Satyajit, Nazma, Asadul and Utpala — were remanded to the police custody by the Basirhat Court for two weeks following a prayer by the CID on Tuesday.
CID’s deputy inspector general (operations) Bharat Lal Meena said, “The raid was conducted at the nursing home, the clinic and the NGO following a tip-off. We are now looking for two more accused: a retired government doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in north Kolkata, and a quack living in Bongaon. Both are attached to the nursing home. The private clinic was used for abortion as well. The racket was being run for the last three years during which nearly 30 newborns had been trafficked in a unique modus operandi.”
The official added, “After the delivery of a baby at the nursing home, parents were either told that the child had died or it was a case of stillborn. The baby was later trafficked to the NGO in a basket often used for carrying biscuits. Those couples who demanded their babies back were offered money as compensation by the racketeers.”
Mr Meena said the NGO used to “sell” the babies to childless couples from New Delhi and different states.
“They charged Rs 2 lakh per the male child and Rs 1 lakh for the girl child. Prabhat and Jhantu used to prepare fake legal documents for the adoption of the babies by the couples,” he said.
