The arrest of the two in Rohini is part of a fast-moving probe into a network that has run its operations in more than one state. With this latest recovery, the tally of children found in connection with the case is up to six, and the investigation has new life to it.
You can see why this is so serious: we’re talking about a possible 30 babies in a year and a half. The story goes that the outfit made a business out of preying on hard-up families and turning a blind eye to illegal adoptions via private hospitals and some doctored paperwork, all to satisfy the wants of couples without children of their own.
Latest rescue and arrests
We’ve been told the pair in custody are Garima Jain and her father-in-law, Satish Jain, both from Rohini. Police say they put down Rs 8 lakh for the newborn some two-and-a-half weeks back, dealing with a woman who was in on the racket.
The infant is in protective hands now and has been put before the Child Welfare Committee. The CWC will see to his care while the work of finding out where he’s from is done.
How the network operated, according to police
This one, they suspect, was procured from a family in Pali, Rajasthan, for somewhere between Rs 1.5 and 2 lakh before being hauled to Delhi and put on the block for 8 lakh. It’s not an isolated incident, the police would have you believe.
The probe has turned up a pattern of targeting the vulnerable, be it in the tribal tracts of Rajasthan or Gujarat. A baby could be had for 10,000 to 20,000 rupees and then put in front of a childless couple for 6 to 10 lakh. It was an assembly line of sorts – suppliers, transporters, middlemen – with private hospitals and forgeries making the handover smooth.
Key investigation milestones
Things started to come to a head on June 5 with a sting near R K Ashram Metro in Paharganj. Three were on the spot, trying to off a four-to-five-day-old. That was enough to open the floodgates for what followed in the way of raids and detentions in other states.
Here is where things stand:
– Six children have been brought in
– Thirteen in total behind bars, from buyers to a hospital owner
– Saybabhai Ghamar, also known as Kalia, a major supplier, was put away on June 17
– Ongoing raids in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP
– The June 5 operation was the one that gave us the network
What comes next
For the time being, it’s a matter of putting a face to the biological parents of the Rohini baby. As for the other five, their kin have yet to be located.
The dragnet is still in place across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. We’re looking for more and for any other cogs in the machine. The case is very much alive and we’re following the supply chain as it opens up under questioning.
Why this case stands out
Look at the numbers in the Rohini instance: a 25-day-old for 8 lakh, when the cost to source him was likely 1.5 to 2 lakh. It’s the kind of spread you see elsewhere in the 10,000 to 20,000 buy and 6 to 10 lakh sell.
Then there is the volume. Some 30 infants in 18 months is what we are up against. This last one is important to us because it gives us the means to chart the whole route – from the ones who provide to the ones who buy – and to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
