CCB officials unearth child sale racket in Bengaluru, arrest gang of four

The accused would buy children from poor couples for a price of ₹2 lakh and sell them to childless couples for ₹8 to ₹10 lakh. 
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The Central Crime Branch officials on Sunday, November 26, 2023, unearthed a child sale racket and arrested a gang of four, including three women. The officials also rescued a 20-day-old baby boy whom the accused had bought from Tamil Nadu to sell to a childless couple in Rajarajeshwarinagar in Bengaluru.

Based on a tip-off, a team of police intercepted a car and arrested the accused after a hot pursuit when they tried to escape.

Bengaluru City police commissioner B. Dayananda said that the kingpin of the racket was a woman who had sold three of her children earlier.

Mode of operation

Explaining the modus operandi, Mr. Dayananda said that the accused would approach poor women in Tamil Nadu and convince them to become surrogates. They would also contact pregnant women who wanted to terminate due to financial difficulties or those who had delivered and could not afford to take care of their child. The accused would buy the child from them for a price of ₹2 lakh and sell them to childless couples for ₹8 to ₹10 lakh.

The accused were operating between Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru for many years and are suspected to have sold as many as 10 children so far, he said. The accused would contact childless couples in and around the city who visit hospitals and would promise to get them newborn children. They would also prepare fake birth certificates, including the names of new parents of the child to avoid legal complications, the police said.

The police suspect the role of many private hospitals and doctors in Chennai and investigations are on to track them down. Initially, the role of three hospitals and some doctors had come to light, of which two hospitals were already shut down due to similar allegations in Tamil Nadu.

The accused have been taken into custody and efforts are on to track down the beneficiaries and other accused involved in the racket.