Nexus that preyed on poor, sold newborns

From egg donors to traffickers

- Jignasa Sinha

The infant boy was barely four days old when he was taken from a tribal village in Rajasthan. His parents, struggling with poverty and already caring for multiple children, handed him over to a stranger who promised them quick money. Hours later, he was on a long journey to Delhi, cradled in the lap of a trafficker. By the time police found him—in a parked car in a bustling market—he had already been sold.

The baby is one of three rescued in a sprawling investigation by Delhi Police that has unearthed a cross-border baby trafficking network operated by a group of women—most of them once egg donors—who now face charges of conspiracy and corruption. All three babies are in the care of the child welfare committee, while police are still trying to locate a fourth baby.