Raoji Bazar police on Thursday busted a major baby trafficking racket and arrested nine individuals—including six women—accused of selling newborn babies to childless couples under the pretense of facilitating legal adoption.
The gang targeted vulnerable mothers and acted as middlemen, paying the mothers a small sum while charging prospective parents exorbitant fees, pocketing the majority as commission. Most of the operation was run by women posing as facilitators of adoption.
The racket came to light after police received a tip-off regarding two women, Pramila Sahu and Vandana Makwana, who claimed to run a care center for the elderly but were suspected of conducting illegal adoption transactions. Upon questioning, authorities learned that both had prior convictions in a similar case registered at Heera Nagar police station.
Investigations revealed that the duo had recently received a demand for a baby and contacted a domestic worker, Pooja Verma, who then reached out to Neelam Verma, an employee at an IVF center. Neelam connected the group to Santosh Sharma and Neetu Shukla, who linked them to Priya Maheshwari—a habitual offender involved in fraud and a ‘loot-and-scoot’ bride racket targeting men in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Priya was found to be the ringleader of this baby-selling network.
The gang arranged for a newborn from Sonu Ben of Dahod, Gujarat, who agreed to sell her baby for Rs 4 lakh due to financial distress. Sonu had been abandoned by her husband in 2022 and subsequently deceived by another man. The gang had struck a deal for Rs 10 lakh with the prospective parents, keeping Rs 6 lakh as commission.
Those arrested are Pramila Sahu, Vandana Makwana, Pooja Verma, Neelam Verma, Neetu Shukla, Ranu alias Pooja Nagda, Santosh Sharma, Vijay Mogkar (Ujjain resident), and Viresh Jatav (Mainpuri resident). They have been produced before the court.
Sonu Ben remains in police custody, with her baby currently in her care, as police seek more information on other potential baby sales. Meanwhile, Priya Maheshwari remains absconding.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections of human trafficking and continue investigations to dismantle the network.
