A sensational case of alleged child trafficking has come to light in Ludhiana, where police have arrested five persons, including the newborn girl’s mother and a BAMS doctor, in connection with the sale of a two-day-old infant for Rs 2.10 lakh.The case surfaced on Sunday after local residents noticed a woman carrying a newborn who was crying incessantly in a park on Neela Jhanda Road. Suspicious of the circumstances, bystanders questioned the woman. During the interaction, she allegedly confessed that she had purchased the baby for Rs 2.10 lakh, prompting residents to alert the police.According to police, the infant girl was born on February 13 at Arora Nursing Home near Baba Than Singh Chowk in Ludhiana. She was just two days old at the time of the alleged transaction.Those arrested have been identified as Sunita Devi, the child’s mother and a resident of Sherpur Kalan; Parveen of Khud Mohalla; Manmeet Kaur, a BAMS doctor residing in Punjab Mata Nagar; Ruchi of Daba Road; and Mandeep Kaur of Nangal village in Moga district. Sunita Devi originally hails from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.Addressing a press conference, Additional DCP-1 Sameer Verma said that Sunita Devi already has four daughters. When she conceived a fifth child, her husband was reportedly unhappy. Police said she decided to give the baby away and contacted Asha, a nurse at the hospital, who then reached out to her acquaintance Parveen.Parveen, who lives in Khud Mohalla and works both as a nurse and domestic help, allegedly contacted another nurse, Gurmeet Kaur of Ajitwal village in Moga. Gurmeet then approached an ASHA worker from Amritsar, identified as Pamma, who was believed to have contacts with doctors.According to ADCP Verma, the ASHA worker informed Manmeet Kaur, a BAMS doctor living in Punjab Mata Nagar, about a newborn available for sale. When the doctor was unable to find a buyer, she reportedly contacted Ruchi, her neighbour at her maternal home in Mohalla Sant Kabir Nagar, who works as a caretaker.Ruchi then approached Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Nangal village in Moga, who had previously expressed a desire to adopt a child. Mandeep allegedly agreed to purchase the baby.Police said Mandeep Kaur was told to pay Rs 2.10 lakh, of which Rs 1.5 lakh would go to the child’s mother and Rs 60,000 would be retained as commission. She agreed to the terms and came to Ludhiana to complete the transaction.On the afternoon of February 15, the alleged buyers and sellers gathered at a park on Neela Jhanda Road to hand over the child. However, suspicious onlookers alerted the police after noticing the crying newborn and unusual activity. When officers reached the spot and began questioning those present, the entire trafficking network was allegedly exposed.Five accused have been arrested so far. Police said the role of the doctor at the nursing home where the child was born is also being examined. If further involvement is established during the investigation, appropriate legal action will be taken.Further investigation in the case is underway.
