Ghaziabad: Three more people have been arrested in connection with a newborn trafficking racket busted earlier this month in Tronica City, police said on Friday — taking the total number of arrests in the case to 16.The case dates to May 26, when a woman named Hina complained that her 11-day-old daughter had been taken from her home by an acquaintance, Pooja, and handed over to another accused, Monu alias Manoj. An FIR was registered under BNS sections 137(2) (kidnapping), 143(4) (trafficking of person), 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 3(5) (common intention) at Tronica City police station, and multiple teams were formed to trace the child.On June 2, acting on manual intelligence, CCTV footage and surveillance inputs, police rescued the infant and arrested 13 accused. Investigations revealed the gang had arranged to sell the girl to a couple in Andhra Pradesh. Three cars were also seized, along with counterfeit currency worth Rs 2.9 lakh.On Friday, three more wanted accused were arrested: Tarannum, 29, a Delhi resident; Karuna, 49, residing in Gurgaon; and Anil Lakda, 33, from Lakhimpur Kheri, UP. Four mobile phones and counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 2,500 were recovered from them.During interrogation, the accused disclosed the gang’s modus operandi. They targeted financially vulnerable families expecting a child, collected information about pregnant women through an extensive network, and lured families with cash. Transactions were coordinated primarily over WhatsApp, with chats and photographs routinely deleted after each deal to destroy digital evidence.The gang also used counterfeit currency to pay parents for infants — mixing fake notes with genuine cash and fleeing before the deception could be discovered. They allegedly counted on victims staying silent, knowing that accepting money for a child would expose them to criminal liability.In Hina’s case, investigations showed that her sister-in-law Rabiya had persuaded her to sell the newborn while still pregnant. After the baby was born on May 23, Hina had second thoughts and backed out. Monu, who had already lined up a buyer in Andhra Pradesh, pressured Rabiya to deliver the child regardless — leading to the kidnapping.Police said efforts are continuing to identify additional members of the syndicate and verify the newly arrested accused’s involvement in other offences.
