Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s (BBA) timely intervention saved a newborn baby girl from being trafficked for a mere sum of INR 1.5 lakh.
Upon receiving information regarding a baby-selling racket operating in Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna, Bihar, BBA immediately swung into action. Our team collaborated with a special investigation team from a prominent digital media group in Patna to plan an undercover sting operation.
On August 19, two members of the investigation agency posed as decoy customers and visited NMCH. They closely observed the activities of the suspected traffickers near the neonatal care unit. The decoy customers posing as a couple convinced the traffickers that they were unable to have children and pleaded with the traffickers to arrange a baby for them.
After several rounds of discussions, the traffickers shared a contact number with the couple to purchase a child illegally. The male decoy customer maintained contact with the trafficker as negotiations continued. The traffickers demanded INR 1.5 lakhs for a female baby and INR 4-5 lakhs for a male baby. A deal was struck over the phone and the traffickers agreed to hand over a 7-day-old baby girl to the couple the next day either in Patna or near Hajipur in Bihar’s Vaishali district.
BBA immediately informed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patna, about the matter. The Special Intelligence Unit of Patna Police was assigned to work with BBA and the special investigation team of a leading media house to execute the mission.
The next morning, the team set out in two vehicles, and a WhatsApp group was created to track the decoy customers’ live location throughout the operation. The traffickers continuously changed the meeting location and time and our team actively shared the evolving situation with the relevant authorities in Vaishali district and Muzaffarpur.
At around 11:30 PM, the traffickers asked the couple to stop in a secluded area in Muzaffarpur district’s Motipur. The traffickers reached the location in a car accompanied by two bikers. Sensing danger, the couple did not leave the car and alerted the team in the second car.
The swift response of the Muzaffarpur police and the BBA team led to the capture of one of the cars, although the vehicle carrying the baby managed to escape. Three traffickers were arrested and one of them was forced to call his accomplices and convince them that everything was normal. The traffickers were called to a family restaurant in Hajipur around 2:30 AM, where the BBA team was present along with the police. At approximately 4 AM, a suspicious car arrived with three men and three women, and a crying baby was visible in the back seat.
Upon thorough interrogation, it was revealed that they received the baby from a woman named Meena Devi, who was the leader of their gang. Meena Devi had connections with illegal nursing homes and used to acquire babies born from illicit relationships for a mere sum of INR 10,000-20,000. She then supplied the babies to traffickers who sold them for large sums to childless couples. Three traffickers who reached the location with the baby girl were arrested and BBA took custody of the rescued newborn. The baby was immediately rushed to Sadar Hospital in Hajipur, where she was admitted to the neonatal care unit and placed on a ventilator due to her critical condition.
BBA facilitated the registration of an FIR in the matter, leading to the arrest of six traffickers involved in the baby-selling racket. We also sought the support of our partner NGO for post-rescue processes, including presenting the case before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and coordinating with the hospital.
On August 28, 2023, the baby girl was discharged from the hospital in a healthy condition. She was handed over to a Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA) through a formal process before the CWC in Vaishali, thanks to the collaborative efforts of BBA and its partners.
