The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) successfully dismantled an interstate child trafficking network on Sunday, rescuing a two-day-old girl and arresting two individuals outside Shalimar railway station in Howrah district.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the CID acted on intelligence inputs, tracking the suspects who had arrived by train at Shalimar Station. As soon as the two men exited the station, officers closely followed them and apprehended them outside the premises.
Upon questioning, the suspects, later identified as Manik Haldar (38) and Mukul Sarkar (32), were unable to provide satisfactory details about the child or their relationship to her. The baby was promptly taken to the Howrah State General Hospital for medical care.
CID officials indicated that the two men are suspected to be part of a larger trafficking syndicate. “Preliminary findings suggest they traveled from Bihar to Kolkata with the child. Our intelligence pinpointed their arrival, enabling us to intervene before the situation worsened,” a CID official shared.
Early investigations point to the gang’s possible involvement in the kidnapping of newborns from various nursing homes in Bihar, aided by connections within these facilities. These infants are then allegedly sold to buyers through an illicit operation, punishable under trafficking laws.
The CID’s investigation is ongoing, and the interrogation of the accused is expected to provide more details about the syndicate and its operations. The State Child Welfare Commission and members from the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan assisted during the raid.
