Maha: Child selling racket busted in Thane; five, including doctor, held

On May 17, the doctor told the decoy customer there was a 20-day-old boy who he could adopt for Rs 7 lakh, he said.She was held while collecting money in her hospital.

Police in Thane in Maharashtra have arrested five persons who allegedly tried to sell a 20-day-old boy, an official said on Thursday.

Those arrested include the mother of the infant and a 61-year-old doctor, Thane Crime Branch Unit I senior inspector Dileep Patil told PTI.

''We received a tip off that a woman doctor from Ulhasnagar was selling infants to needy couples. We verified the tip off through a decoy customer. On May 17, the doctor told the decoy customer there was a 20-day-old boy who he could adopt for Rs 7 lakh,'' he said.

''She was held while collecting money in her hospital. The other accused include two women from Nashik, a man from Belgaum in Karnataka and the child's mother, who is also from Nashik,'' Patil said.

They have been charged under Indian Penal Code and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and further probe into the child selling racket and activities of the accused is under way, the official said.

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