A disturbing case of alleged child-trafficking has come to light in Ludhiana. The police have arrested five individuals, including the newborn girl’s mother and a BAMS practitioner. The accused had reportedly sold a two-day-old baby for Rs 2.10 lakh.
The case surfaced on Sunday afternoon when locals noticed a woman carrying a crying newborn in a park on Neela Jhanda Road. The baby was crying continuously, which raised suspicion. Locals questioned the woman. She then admitted that she had paid money to get the child. Local residents immediately contacted the police.
The baby girl was born on February 13 at a private nursing home near Baba Than Singh Chowk in Ludhiana. She was allegedly handed over just two days after birth. Among those arrested is the child’s mother, Sunita Devi of Sherpur Kalan, who originally hailed from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. The police said the accused woman already has four daughters and allegedly decided to sell the newborn after her husband wasn’t happy with the birth of another girl.
Additional DCP-1 Sameer Verma stated that Sunita Devi first contacted a hospital nurse named Asha to arrange the deal. Asha then allegedly contacted Parveen, who lives in Khud Mohalla and works as a nurse and domestic helper, in this regard.
During inquiry, the police found that Parveen had contacted Gurmeet Kaur, another nurse from Ajitwal village in Punjab’s Moga district. Gurmeet had then connected with ASHA worker from Amritsar, identified as Pamma. The ASHA worker allegedly had contacts with medical professionals.
According to police, the ASHA worker then informed Manmeet Kaur, a BAMS doctor living in Punjab Mata Nagar, about the availability of a newborn. When she could not find someone to buy the child, she reportedly contacted her neighbour Ruchi, who worked as a caretaker and lived near her maternal home in Mohalla Sant Kabir Nagar.
Ruchi allegedly contacted Mandeep Kaur from Nangal village in Moga district. Mandeep had previously expressed her wish to adopt a child. She allegedly agreed to pay Rs 2.10 lakh to buy the child. Of this money, Rs 1.5 lakh was to go to the biological mother. The remaining Rs 60,000 was allegedly to be shared as commission among the intermediaries.
On February 15, the accused gathered at the park on Neela Jhanda Road to complete the handover. However, the baby’s continuous cries and the suspicious situation attracted the attention of people nearby.
So far, the police have nabbed five accused. Officials said the role of the doctor at the nursing home where the child was born is also being examined.
The infant has now been taken into protective care.
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