Two women caught trying to sell infant girl for Rs 2.5 lakh

Surat: Crime branch sleuths arrested two women from the Ved Road area on Saturday for allegedly attempting to sell a 10-day-old baby girl.The accused women had brought the infant from Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra two days ago and searched for prospective buyers by circulating the child's photographs through a mobile chatting application. The duo allegedly tried to sell the baby for Rs 2.5 lakh.The accused, identified as Anjali Mishra (39) and Lakshmi Sonawane (44), were arrested by police following specific information. They were booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 143(1) (trafficking), 143(4) (trafficking of a child), and 61 (criminal conspiracy).Police rescued the infant and shifted her to a hospital, where she has been kept under medical care to prevent any health complications. During a raid at Mishra's residence on Ved Road, police found that she could not produce hospital documents related to the child's birth.A preliminary police investigation revealed that the women may have brought the minor either by kidnapping her or by cheating her parents. Sonawane, a native of Sambhajinagar, allegedly played a crucial role in arranging the infant.Mishra told police that a newborn child of her sister's daughter had died recently. In an attempt to arrange a baby for her, Mishra contacted Sonawane, who allegedly procured the child through her contacts. However, after the infant was brought to Surat, Mishra's relative refused to accept her."Police have informed the Sambhajinagar police to verify whether any kidnapping has been reported. It is yet to be ascertained who the child's parents are," police said.Mishra's husband and children are engaged in business, while Sonawane works in saree cutting.Notably, the Ahmedabad crime branch, in a joint operation with the anti-terrorist squad (ATS), busted an inter-state racket, rescued a newborn baby, and arrested four persons. The accused were trying to transport the newborn from Gujarat to Telangana, where the child was reportedly to be sold to an agent linked to an organised trafficking syndicate.