Inter-state child trafficking racket: Gujarat nurse linked to fertility clinics under lens for ‘sourcing babies’

AHMEDABAD: A nurse who worked at multiple IVF centres and gynaecology hospitals in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad is under scanner for allegedly facilitating an inter-state child trafficking racket for nearly two years. Crime branch officials said she acted as a key link between hospitals and agents in Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad, and later began directly approaching childless couples.According to investigators, the woman, who is from Ahmedabad, worked for around a decade at leading IVF centres in Hyderabad and the city. During this period, she established contacts with doctors and fertility clinic owners. Police said she gradually built a network of IVF centres and prospective parents seeking children.After quitting her job, she allegedly used her professional knowledge of IVF procedures to gain the trust of couples and coordinate the supply of infants through agents. A senior police officer said she travelled to tribal pockets of north Gujarat, including Poshina, Kheroj, Idar, Danta and Deesa, where she identified vulnerable women who were about to deliver children out of wedlock.Investigators said at least 20 tribal infants were trafficked and sold to buyers in Hyderabad over the past two years. The racket came to light on Jan 29 when four accused were intercepted near Ahmedabad airport while transporting a 15-day-old baby to Hyderabad for resale. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the alleged kingpin, Yunus Sindhi, from Danta.Police said infants were priced based on skin colour and gender, with fair-skinned babies sold for up to Rs 7 lakh and others for Rs 2-3 lakh. Baby boys reportedly fetched higher rates.Officials said shifting social norms in tribal communities, where children born out of wedlock now faced stigma, were exploited by the traffickers. The probe is now focused on the money trail, identifying buyers in Hyderabad, and examining the role of IVF centres that allegedly connected childless couples with the racket network.