Child trafficking racket involving infants busted: Ahmedabad woman, husband, others under probe

In a major breakthrough, investigators have unearthed a sprawling infant trafficking racket involving the sale and transfer of newborns and infants aged between 15 days and seven months. The key accused include a woman named Manisha, her husband Jayesh, Siddhant Jagtap, and a man identified only as ‘Savdhan’, all of whom are believed to be active members of a well-organised network operating across multiple states.

Police sources said the network trafficked babies using women associated with egg donation programmes. One such egg donor was the sister of Jayesh, which reportedly brought him into contact with other women in the fertility circuit. Jayesh was in a live-in relationship with Manisha, and the couple allegedly played a central role in coordinating the transfers.

Women donating eggs were reportedly paid between ₹20,000 and ₹25,000, while infants were being sold for far higher sums. In one particular case under investigation, a child was sold for ₹1.5 lakh by the accused, with plans to resell the infant for ₹2.5 lakh. The price for other infants is suspected to have ranged from ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh. Investigators believe that some members of the racket were also linked to IVF centres, raising serious concerns about institutional involvement.

One recent case detailed by investigators involved the abduction of a baby around 6 am., who was then brought to Ahmedabad before being transported in a luxury bus to Aurangabad. The journey reportedly lasted nearly 20 hours, concluding on July 31. The child was received by two individuals, Binal and another associate, later joined by Manisha. Police said Binal and Manisha had known each other for nearly two years as neighbours and were in contact due to their mutual interest in egg donation, which they viewed as a source of quick income.

The accused reportedly communicated over WhatsApp and social media platforms, exchanging information about infertile couples and the demand for children. Preliminary questioning revealed that three children had earlier been sent to Hyderabad and one to Mumbai. Hyderabad Police, too, recently uncovered a similar network, and efforts are on to determine whether the two rackets are interconnected.

Police have arrested Manisha's husband for his alleged involvement in kidnapping the child and transporting them to Aurangabad. Meanwhile, Savdhan, believed to be working as an agent, has a known criminal history with at least five cases registered against him, including assault and abduction.

Police have intensified the investigation to determine whether the children were kidnapped or handed over with parental consent. As of now, there have been no missing child reports matching the trafficked infants in any police stations across the state. Authorities are combing through data of missing children under the age of two reported in the last two years to identify potential victims.

The probe aims to uncover the full scale of the network, trace all middlemen, and identify the final buyers. Given the involvement of multiple agents across state borders, investigators believe the racket is far more extensive than initially suspected.