Baby selling racket: Mumbai crime branch arrests three more

In connection with the baby selling racket case, the city crime branch sleuths, on Sunday arrested three more persons including two women. Those arrested have been identified as Lahu Nivatkar (52), Suraiya Khan (37) and Preeti Shitap (42), all are residents of Antop Hill. A total of 14 accused have been arrested so far.

Earlier this month, after receiving a tip off about the gang that sold babies, officers from the Chembur unit of crime branch nabbed four women and a man who were allegedly involved in the racket. According to the police, the gang would target financially weak women and would also claim to legally adopt their children and pay the parents money instead.

Speaking about the roles of accused trio in the racket, an officer said, "On July 11, we had arrested one Jhulehuma Dalvi in the said racket. The interrogation revealed that in November 2014, with the help of Shitap, she got a child sold to Nivatkar for Rs 2.50 lakh."

The police team then conducted searches at Nivatkar's residence and apprehended him. The police also managed to take custody of a four-year-eight-months old child from Nivatkar. Khan, who is a relative of Dalvi, had had sold a child to Shitap in 2012 for Rs 1.50 lakh.

"We have managed to rescue the child from Shitap as well," the officer informed. The police are now probing if Nivatkar and Shitap had bought more children from the syndicate. "We would be carrying out DNA tests of the children rescued from Nivatkar and Shitap. POst that we will look out for their biological parents," said the officer.