₹1.5 lakh for dusky, ₹5 lakh for fair: Ghaziabad police bust 'baby traders' selling kidnapped kids to childless couples

Ghaziabad police have busted a child trafficking network involving a nurse, an ASHA worker, and two women who operated marriage bureaus. The gang allegedly kidnapped children and sold them to childless couples across Uttar Pradesh, charging between ₹1.5 lakh to ₹5 lakh per child, depending on gender and complexion.

According to ACP Siddharth Gautam, as quoted by TOI, the racket had links in Delhi, Bijnor, Moradabad, Roorkee, Amroha, and possibly even Jammu & Kashmir and Nepal. The accused allegedly took random photos of children playing outside homes and circulated them on WhatsApp groups. Swati alias Shaista, 35, who ran Pari Marriage Bureau in Moradabad, and Sandhya Chauhan, 37, who ran Subharti Marriage Bureau in Muzaffarnagar, reached out to interested couples using these images. Prices were discussed based on the child’s appearance and gender.

Rescue operation leads to breakthrough in case

The racket came to light after Rashid, a local resident, reported his one-year-old son missing. The child was last seen playing outside their home. Police reviewed CCTV footage from nearby transport hubs, identifying a suspect carrying the boy. The investigation led them to a house in Loni, where the child was rescued on Thursday according to a report by TOI.


Further inquiry revealed that an initial deal was struck with a couple from Moradabad for ₹2.5 lakh, but when they backed out, another couple from Amroha agreed to pay ₹1.5 lakh. The boy was briefly kept at the Loni house before police intervened.

Four suspects arrested, more charges likely

Police arrested four individuals: Swati alias Shaista, Sandhya Chauhan, Afsar, 28, a meat shop owner from Tronica City, and Naved, 19, a daily wage worker. Afsar reportedly tipped off Naved about the unattended child, stating he was promised a commission. He claimed financial distress during the month of Sawan led him to cooperate.

Medical staff also involved in trafficking

The network also included Nurse Ranjhana alias Reeta from Moradabad and ASHA worker Deepak Singh. They allegedly identified babies born to women with unwanted pregnancies, especially from economically weaker backgrounds. According to initial findings, Reeta had been part of the gang for over two years. She is accused of misleading mothers by claiming their babies were stillborn and handing them over to the traffickers.

FIR filed

Police recovered incriminating chat records from the phones of the accused women, including conversations with Reeta and Deepak discussing prices and potential buyers. An FIR has been registered under Section 143(4) (trafficking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Tronica City police station.

“We plan to add more charges as the investigation progresses,” a police officer told TOI.

(With inputs from TOI)