Newborn rescued, 2 arrested as Bengal Police bust child trafficking racket

The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has successfully busted an interstate child trafficking racket, rescuing a two-day-old girl and arresting two persons outside a railway station in West Bengal’s Howrah district on Sunday, officials said.
Acting upon intelligence inputs, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the two accused along with the newborn from outside the Shalimar railway station.
According to sources within the CID, officers observed and trailed the suspects as they arrived by train at Shalimar Station. “As soon as the suspects exited the station, they were tracked closely by our officers. Once outside the premises, they were apprehended and questioned on the spot,” a CID official told India Today TV.
When questioned by officials, the accused were unable to provide satisfactory information regarding the child’s identity or their relationship to her. The baby was later admitted to the Howrah State General Hospital.
The accused, identified as Manik Haldar, 38, and Mukul Sarkar, 32, were arrested on the spot. CID officials reported that representatives from the State Child Welfare Commissioner’s office, as well as members from the NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, accompanied the team during the raid.
The CID also suspect that the two men are likely part of a larger trafficking syndicate. “Preliminary findings suggest these individuals arrived from Bihar, bringing the girl to Kolkata. Our intelligence pinpointed their arrival time and location, allowing us to intercept the suspects before any further harm could come to the child,” the official said.
The CID official also said that early investigations indicate the gang may be involved in kidnapping newborns from various nursing homes in Bihar, allegedly facilitated by connections within the facilities.
These kidnapped infants are then handed over to potential buyers in an illicit operation punishable under strict trafficking laws, the official added.
Interrogation of the accused and further investigation into the matter is underway.