Bahadurgarh: The probe into an interstate infant trafficking racket uncovered in Haryana’s Bahadurgarh has deepened with links traced to Punjab, police said on Friday. A Muktsar resident, Jaspreet, has been arrested, taking the total number of arrests to 11, while investigators say the racket involved trafficking of over 60 infants across multiple states.ACP Pradeep Khatri, who first flagged the case, said the syndicate was engaged in the illegal sale of newborns and young children for sums ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. “This is a large, organised network with operatives spread across different regions,” he said.So far, two children have been rescued and shifted to a care centre in Rewari. One of them is just five days old, while the other is about five months old. Police said the racket primarily targeted infants, with victims ranging in age from three days to five years.Jaspreet, the latest arrest, had allegedly fled along with the kingpin, identified as Ladi, on the night of March 31, when Bahadurgarh police intercepted a vehicle near Sector-9 and arrested three accused — including a woman — who were attempting to sell a three-day-old infant in Delhi.Jaspreet has been taken on a five-day police remand and is being questioned to trace the absconding kingpin and uncover the full extent of the network. ACP Khatri said the syndicate has operational links in Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Kolkata, pointing to a vast interstate operation.Earlier, 10 accused — including a woman — were arrested. Six of them were produced in court on Friday and sent to judicial custody. Confirming the scale of the racket, ACP Pradeep Nain said more than 60 cases of infant trafficking have surfaced so far, and buyers and facilitators are also under investigation.A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed under the supervision of police commissioner Dr Rajshree Singh, with multiple teams carrying out raids across states to dismantle the network.Police said the racket became active after the Covid-19 pandemic and is believed to have been operating for nearly five years. “Our priority is to arrest the kingpin. That will expose several hidden layers of this syndicate,” ACP Khatri said, adding that more revelations are expected as the probe progresses.
