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Police in India's Kerala state have arrested two men for allegedly operating a newborn trafficking network that targeted vulnerable pregnant women from other states. According to officials, the group lured the women to Kerala under the guise of assistance, intending to sell their babies after delivery.
The case came to light after a 22-year-old pregnant woman from Assam contacted police in Kottayam. She told officers she was held captive and physically assaulted for several days as part of a scheme to traffic her unborn child.
She alleged that she was lured to Kerala under false pretences after contacting what appeared to be an NGO facilitating legal adoptions. The suspects reportedly promised to cover her medical expenses and provide INR300,000 (BD1,180) in financial aid, on the condition that she handed over her baby after birth.
According to her complaint, the woman was taken on July 16 to a secluded house in Pala, where two other pregnant women were also being held. She became alarmed after overhearing group members discussing plans to traffic her as well once the baby was born.
When she confronted the suspects and refused to give up her child, she was wrongfully confined and assaulted. She managed to escape on July 26 and alerted the police.
Authorities subsequently launched a late-night raid on the house, arresting two suspects. Investigators are now probing whether the group is part of a larger interstate trafficking syndicate.
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