Guwahati: A suspected baby trafficking racket in Kerala was exposed after a 22-year-old pregnant woman from Assam escaped from a house where she was allegedly being forced to give away her newborn baby. Based on her complaint, police arrested two men and launched an investigation into a larger network.
Police said the woman left her home in Assam after her husband and family allegedly pressured her to end her second pregnancy. Already the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, she wanted to continue the pregnancy and searched for help.
While in Delhi, she found an Instagram account claiming to belong to a voluntary organisation that offered free accommodation and medical care for pregnant women. Trusting the offer, she travelled to Kottayam in Kerala on July 16.
According to police, she was received by K.S. Arjun (21) from Idukki district and taken to a house at Theekkoy near Pala. The house was allegedly run by Muppili Raja (27) from Coimbatore and his wife, Harshitha, who is currently absconding.
The woman became suspicious after she was allegedly told that she would have to hand over her baby after delivery in return for Rs 3 lakh. Realising something was wrong, she escaped with the help of an anganwadi teacher she met by chance.
She later reached the Erattupetta Police Station and filed a complaint. She is now staying at Santhwanam, a government-run shelter home near Kottayam, where she is receiving care.
Following her complaint, police arrested Raja and Arjun. Both were produced before a local court and sent to judicial custody. A case has also been registered against Harshitha, and police are searching for her.
Furthermore, Police are examining the Instagram account used to contact the woman, tracking financial transactions and investigating whether similar cases involving pregnant women from other states have taken place.