Child trafficking racket busted in Mumbai, newborn rescued; parents among 4 held  

Police have busted a child trafficking racket after rescuing a six-day-old boy in Mumbai and arrested four persons, including his parents, an official said on Thursday.

Based on credible information about child trafficking, social activist Dr Binu Varghese alerted the police.

Acting on the inputs, the police caught two women red-handed while accepting Rs 4.5 lakh for child trafficking and rescued the newborn on Wednesday night, the official from Shivaji Nagar police station said.

It also came to light that Rs 1 lakh had already been paid as advance to the child’s parents, the police said.

The Shivaji Nagar police arrested four persons—Nazima Sheikh alias Nasreen, Fatima Mehmoobali and the child’s parents Irfan Khan and Sumaiya Khan.

A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, including 143(3) (trafficking), against these four persons and an alleged mastermind of the racket, who is a relative of a local history-sheeter, the official said.

All the accused are residents of Shivaji Nagar, the police added.