Dharamshala, Himachal Police busted a gang involved in trafficking newborn babies under the guise of facilitating adoption, arrested two people from Punjab and arrested another, officials said on Saturday.
During the operation, a team of Kangra police also rescued a minor, they added.
Dehra Superintendent of Police Mayank Chaudhary said that a complaint was filed by Rohit Rana on Tuesday alleging that a person named Deepak Anand had cheated him. $23,500 under the pretext of arranging the adoption of a new baby. An FIR was registered immediately.
Later, the location of the accused was traced to Jalandhar in Punjab.
A special team conducted a targeted operation and arrested Deepak Anand from Jalandhar who was later remanded in police custody for five days by the court for further questioning, the police said.
Further investigation revealed that Deepak was working as an agent for a Punjab-based gang involved in child trafficking.
Giving details of the gang’s modus operandi, police said that Deepak would identify childless couples, contact them and connect them with gang members operating from Punjab. The gang obtained infants illegally and handed them over to the couples in exchange for sums of money.
The team also arrested another member of the gang, a woman from Batala district in Punjab, for her active involvement in the human trafficking network. Another woman named Anita from Jalandhar was also arrested.
During the operation, the police also rescued a minor. They said the child was handed over to a private adoption agency to ensure proper care, protection and legal safeguards.
Police said further investigations are underway to identify and arrest other gang members and dismantle the entire trafficking network.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
