Interstate child trafficking racket busted; 9 arrested

Mumbai: The police have arrested nine people, including eight women, involved in an interstate child trafficking racket spread across the city, Gujarat and Karnataka.
A four-month-old girl, sold for Rs 5 lakh to a couple in Karwar, Karnataka, has been rescued. Authorities suspect the involvement of a gynaecologist and a nurse from Karnataka.
The arrested individuals are Sulochana Suresh Kamble (45), Mira Rajaram Yadav (40), Yogesh Bhoir (37), Roshni Ghosh (34), Sandhya Rajput (48), Madina alias Munni Imam Chavan (44), Tainaaz Shahin Chauhan (19), Baby Moinuddin Tamboli (50), and Manisha Sunny Yadav (32)—the biological mother of the rescued infant.
The accused hail from Dadar and Sewri in the city, Diva, Vadodara, and Karwar and are employed as wedding planners, caregivers, and hospital aides.
The case came to light on Dec 11 when the infant’s grandmother, living on Sion-Mahim Link Road, lodged a complaint saying her daughter-in-law, Manisha Yadav, had sold her four-month-old baby. Manisha confessed to selling the child to a couple in Karnataka for Rs 1 lakh with the help of Madina Chavan and Tainaaz Chauhan from Vadodara.
A special investigation team led by DCP Ragasudha R coordinated across multiple states, leading to the arrest of the accused from the city, Thane, Vadodara, and Karwar. The accused targeted low-income families. The police suspect the accused may have trafficked at least half a dozen children.