Delhi 'Baby Bazaar': Infant and Child Trafficking Exposed
Delhi Police have busted a multi-state child trafficking racket that allegedly bought newborns from poor families, forged hospital records, and sold at least 30 infants to childless couples for lakhs
A newborn is born in a village in Rajasthan. Within days, the baby is taken to Delhi. Soon after, the infant is sold to a childless couple in Haryana for several lakh rupees.
According to Delhi Police, this was the business model of a sprawling child trafficking racket that allegedly operated across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh for nearly 18 months before being busted.
A suspicious pattern
The investigation began on 5 June 2026, when a resident of Delhi's Paharganj noticed a woman carrying different newborn babies over two weeks and alerted police.
CCTV footage and local inquiries led investigators to Jyoti alias Kamlesh. To gather evidence, a woman police officer posed as a childless buyer. After accepting an advance of ?20,000, Jyoti allegedly agreed to deliver a newborn.
When she arrived with a baby barely five days old, police arrested her. Two associates—Shalu and Lalit—were also taken into custody, and the infant was rescued safely.
A hospital at the centre
Interrogations revealed a much larger network. Police later arrested Pratibha, a freelance lab technician, Vipin, a driver, Omwati, a domestic worker from Gurugram, and Dr Viveki, owner of Hira's Multispeciality Hospital in Rohini, who investigators believe was the mastermind.
Police allege the hospital served as the racket's hub, where newborns were kept until buyers were found. Fake birth certificates, delivery records and hospital bills were allegedly created to make it appear the babies had been born there. Investigators also claim that "Dr Viveki" was not a qualified doctor but a nurse posing as one for nearly eight years.
How the racket worked
Police say the gang sourced newborns from poor families in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Investigators are examining whether some babies were sold due to poverty, handed over under pressure, or kidnapped.
According to investigators, girls were allegedly bought for about ?1 lakh and sold for ?3–4 lakh, while boys were bought for around ?2 lakh and sold for ?6–8 lakh. Childless couples from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh were among the alleged buyers.
On 17 June, police arrested Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia from Gujarat, who allegedly procured babies from Rajasthan and Gujarat before sending them to Delhi.
The "twins" deception
One case stunned investigators.
A couple wanted to buy only a baby boy. But the gang also needed to sell a baby girl. Police say the traffickers falsely claimed the unrelated infants were twins and sold both together for ?9 lakh.
What happens next?
Police believe the network trafficked at least 30 infants in the past year. So far, five babies, all less than a month old, have been rescued and placed under the care of Delhi's Child Welfare Committee at the Palna Centre.
Several alleged buyers, including couples from Panipat and Gwalior, have also been arrested. Police say those who knowingly purchased the babies, as well as biological parents found to have voluntarily sold their children, could face criminal action.
Investigators are now working to trace every rescued child's biological family and determine whether each infant was sold willingly, under coercion, or abducted.
