Kolkata Child Trafficking Case: Another Doctor, Woman Held 

Kolkata: One more doctor and a woman were arrested by the CID for their alleged involvement in the child trafficking racket busted from Baduria in North 24 district, a senior CID official said.

Tapan Biswas associated with the Baduria nursing home, the second doctor arrested in this case, was held late last night from one of his relative’s place at Memari in Burdwan district where he was hiding. Whereas Basanti Chakraborty, linked to the old age home for mentally challenged persons in Thakurpukur from where 10 babies were rescued, was arrested from a hideout close to her home this morning.

The latest arrests have taken the total number of persons held in connection case to 18. Doctor Santosh Kumar Samanta, attached with College Street's Sri Krishna nursing home in the city, was the first doctor arrested in the case.

Biswas and Basanti were brought to CID headquarters at Bhawani Bhawan here and grilled for long hours, he added. Meanwhile, the CID was continuing its raids at several nursing homes in various districts of the state in connection with the case. Raids will continue until we reach the deepest root of this racket, he said.

The CID has also exhumed remains of two infants from the compound of Sujit Memorial Trust at Machlandapur in Habra. It was also learnt that the investigating body was undergoing search for remains of more infants in the compounds and surroundings of two nursing homes, Sri Krishna Nursing home at College Street and another one at Behala area in southern fringes of the city.

It was learnt after questioning that the babies needed to be healthy to fetch them a good amount from childless couples. But as the babies were deprived of their mothers' milk, they were turning below weight and several of them died due to malnutrition. These people then either bury the bodies or throw them into water bodies, even drains. We are trying to locate those buried, the CID official told PTI.

Stress was given to search operations in various places in and the surrounding Baduria in North 24 Parganas. The racket used to smuggle newborns to other states and abroad in cardboard boxes meant for biscuit packaging.

Those arrested have been booked under Sections 369 (kidnapping or abducting child under ten years), 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC.

PTI