Delhi Police have uncovered an alleged inter-state child trafficking racket centred around Hira Multispeciality Hospital in Rohini, arresting 13 people including alleged traffickers, intermediaries, buyers and the hospital’s owner and rescuing five infants from Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
According to investigators, the syndicate allegedly sourced newborns from economically vulnerable families across states such as Rajasthan and Gujarat before selling them to childless couples for lakhs of rupees using forged medical records and fabricated birth documents. Police believe nearly 30 infants may have been trafficked over the past 18 months to two years, with the investigation continuing to identify biological parents, trace additional victims and uncover the full network.
Officials have described the operation as one of Delhi’s biggest crackdowns on organised infant trafficking, while child welfare authorities are caring for the rescued babies as legal proceedings move forward.
A Covert Network Built on Forged Hope
The investigation began after an alert resident in Paharganj noticed a woman carrying different infants over a short period and informed police, triggering surveillance and a covert operation. On 5 June, officers posing as prospective buyers allegedly struck a deal near RK Ashram Metro Station, paying a token amount of ₹20,000 before arresting three suspects and rescuing a newborn.
The probe subsequently expanded across multiple states, leading to the arrest of 13 accused, including Jyoti alias Kamlesh, alleged facilitator Pratibha, driver Vipin and Viveki, who police say operated Hira Multispeciality Hospital despite lacking recognised MBBS or MD qualifications. Police allege the hospital functioned as the syndicate’s operational hub, where trafficked infants were sheltered, fake hospital admissions staged, fabricated delivery records prepared and forged birth documents created to falsely establish parentage before babies were handed over to buyers.
Investigators also recovered over ₹3 lakh in cash and said male infants were allegedly purchased for as little as ₹10,000-₹20,000 before being resold for ₹7-10 lakh, while girls fetched comparatively lower prices. Officials said the racket relied on suppliers, transporters, document forgers and intermediaries working across state borders, exposing a sophisticated criminal network disguised behind medical legitimacy.
Authorities Trace Victims and Families
Police believe the trafficking operation had been active for at least 18 months and may have exploited families facing acute financial hardship, particularly in remote and tribal regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Investigators suspect some parents were paid nominal amounts for their babies, while in other instances infants may have been taken without informed consent.
The rescued babies have been placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee as authorities work to establish their identities and reunite them with their biological families wherever possible. However, investigators say tracing parents has become increasingly challenging because several suspected intermediaries and biological families reportedly went into hiding after news of the arrests became public. Police teams continue to examine financial transactions, forged medical documents and interstate links to determine the full scale of the network and identify additional victims.
Officials have emphasised that the case highlights how organised trafficking syndicates can misuse healthcare institutions and falsified documentation to exploit both vulnerable families and childless couples desperate to adopt, underscoring the need for stronger oversight of hospitals, documentation systems and legal adoption processes.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The alleged trafficking of infants is not merely a criminal enterprise, it represents a profound betrayal of society’s responsibility to protect its most vulnerable members. While Delhi Police deserve recognition for acting on a vigilant citizen’s tip-off and dismantling an alleged network that reportedly operated across several states, the case also raises urgent questions about systemic accountability.
Healthcare institutions, documentation processes, adoption safeguards and child protection mechanisms must be robust enough to prevent babies from becoming commodities in an illicit marketplace. Equally important is addressing the economic distress that leaves vulnerable families susceptible to exploitation, while expanding accessible and transparent legal adoption pathways for prospective parents.
Public vigilance, institutional integrity and coordinated action between police, healthcare regulators and child welfare agencies are all essential to ensuring such crimes cannot flourish unnoticed. What more can governments, healthcare institutions and communities do together to protect vulnerable children while ensuring every adoption is ethical, transparent and centred on the best interests of the child?
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