The police arrested the owner of a private hospital along with mid-wives and other staff members. The chief of the adoption center, about 20 kilometers from the hospital, and court clerks, who would allegedly prepare fake documents, have also been arrested.
"Initial investigations indicated that the hospital staff would persuade pregnant unmarried girls and women to give birth instead of aborting the fetus. They would also steal babies from women who delivered at the clinic after telling them that the infant was stillborn. Investigations are underway and more information will be revealed only after some more progress is made," said Bharat Lal Meena, Deputy Inspector-General for the Crime Investigation Department, West Bengal Police.
Reports of human trafficking in India increased by 25 per cent in 2015 compared to the previous year, with over 40 per cent of cases involving children being bought, sold and exploited as modern day slaves.
