Police said the 52-year-old man was involved in the sale of four other newborn babies, and they also found a doctor’s role in the crime.
Additionally, the police arrested a hospital nurse and a farmer couple based in Karnataka, who bought the baby from a woman in Matunga.
On Monday, a Matunga woman and eight others were arrested for allegedly selling their child for Sh100,000 on the bail of her husband, who is in jail. The incident came to light after the woman’s mother-in-law filed a police complaint with the help of an NGO.
According to the police, the woman along with three other accused Yogesh Bhoir, Roshni Santu Ghosh and Sandhya Arjun Rajput had gone to Vadodara to meet Madina alias Munni Imam Chavan a month ago. From there, they went to Karnataka, where they met Baby Tamboli, whose husband Abdulkarim Dastgir, popularly known as Nadaf, was the mastermind of the racket.
A senior Mumbai police officer said, “On Tuesday, we took Nadaf into custody and arrested him. During the interrogation, he said that four other infants, two males and two females aged one and a half to two months, were involved in the illegal trade. They were sold for Rs 3.8 lakh to Rs 2.3 lakh.
The police added that the other four infants were from Aurangabad, Pune and Gujarat and they would contact the respective local police to register a crime in the case.
‘Couple forced to participate in five-year waiting list’
A Karnataka couple who bought a baby girl from a Matunga woman started looking to buy the baby after an adoption agency informed them that it would be their turn only after five years, police said.
“The couple are farmers based in Karnataka and have been married for about a decade. The woman suffered a miscarriage about three years ago and has been unable to conceive since then, due to which she fell into depression,” said a police officer.
The couple then contacted an adoption agency, but as the waiting period was too long, they ended up with a hospital nurse named Veena Tandel. According to the police, Veena, whose husband was a friend of a Karnataka man, started searching for the child and eventually came in contact with Nadaf.
The police said that he was brought to Mumbai and kept in custody. The child has also been recovered and is currently in the custody of the NGO. “We are considering letting the couple go after serving a notice under the provisions of the law. Veena will be arrested in the case,” an official said.
Investigators have informed that the couple bought the baby for 3 lakh rupees, of which 1 lakh rupees was given to the mother and the rest was distributed to the arrested accused.
The role of the doctor
According to the police, Nadaf claimed to have worked as a driver in Pune till three years ago, when he left the job after the accident.
“He claims that he came in contact with a Karnataka-based doctor, who started trafficking babies through him. Since then, he has been a part of the racket,” said an investigator. The police suspect that the duo were involved in large-scale trafficking of babies. They plan to take the doctor into custody and conduct further investigations. are
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