The Eluru district police have busted a child trafficking racket and arrested 10 persons, who included an employee of a private hospital, for their alleged involvement.
“The police will alert the Medical and Health Department about the violation of surrogacy norms by a few IVF clinics and hospitals. A few employees of these institutions are tracking the childless couples and luring poor women to undergo surrogacy by offering money,” Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma told the media on Sunday.
Following a complaint lodged by the officials of the Women Development and Child Welfare Department on the alleged sale of a baby in a POCSO Act case, the Pedavegi and Eluru Two Town police registered separate cases and arrested the accused, Mr. Sharma said.
The arrested were identified as M. Nagamani, an anganwadi ayah of Pedavegi mandal in Eluru district; T. Durga, M. Sarada, G. Vijaya Lakshmi and Ch. Durga Bhavani of Vijayawada; R. Akhil, R. Sunitha and R. Anitha of Eluru district; Syed Ghousia of Guntur; and T. Jhansi Rani, an employee of Ahalya Hospital in Guntur.
Giving details of the case, the SP said that a 15-year-old girl had given birth to a baby at the District Government Hospital in Eluru in June this year. Nagamani struck a deal with the members of the trafficking gang, who allegedly sold away the infant to Ghousia for ₹2.7 lakh.
A team led by Eluru Deputy Superintendent of Police G.V.V.S Pydeswara Rao and Eluru Town Town CI D.V. Ramana arrested the accused, including the mediators and the family members who sold away the baby and the buyer, the SP said.
During questioning, it was found that two of the accused — Durga Bhavani and Vijaya Lakshmi — had undergone surrogacy and allegedly sold away the babies. Another accused, Sarada, allegedly arranged a woman for surrogacy. Jhansi Rani had given the list of childless couples visiting the hospital to the gang members, Mr. Rahul Dev Sharma said.
“The accused had undergone surrogacy for money and sold the babies in 2018. We are inquiring into the violations of the surrogacy law and have asked the hospital management to give details of the patients,” the SP added.
