Nurse, hospital owner among 4 held for selling newborn in Greater Noida

In a chilling case that has exposed the dark underbelly of illegal adoption rackets, a nurse was caught red-handed while allegedly attempting to sell a newborn baby girl for Rs 2.60 lakh in Greater Noida, leading to the arrest of three others, including the owner of a private hospital, officials said on Sunday.

The swift crackdown followed the unravelling of a carefully orchestrated conspiracy involving the sale of a 5-to-10-day-old infant in Greater Noida West. Acting on a timely alert, authorities intercepted the transaction moments before the handover could be completed.

The case came to light when a couple residing in a local housing society began searching for ways to adopt a child through social media platforms. What initially appeared to be a hopeful journey soon took a sinister turn, as they were approached by multiple dubious intermediaries demanding large sums of money in exchange for arranging a baby.

After negotiations, the deal was fixed at Rs 2.60 lakh. Growing suspicious, the couple alerted child protection authorities, setting in motion a coordinated operation involving the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, the Child Welfare Committee, and the local police.

According to officials, the accused instructed the couple to reach near the Bisrakh roundabout for the exchange. There, in a carefully planned trap, police teams in plainclothes moved in. Around 4:30 pm on Saturday, as a woman arrived carrying the infant, she was apprehended on the spot.

Sharing details of the operation, Shakti Awasthi, deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida), said the woman taken into custody was employed at a private hospital in the area.

Subsequent interrogation led to the arrest of three more accused — including the hospital owner, an operating theatre technician, and a sanitation worker — pointing to a deeper nexus operating behind the scenes.

Investigators believe the racket may be part of a wider network exploiting social media platforms to target vulnerable individuals seeking adoption. More names are emerging as the probe deepens, with police continuing to question additional suspects.

The origins of the infant remain unclear. Preliminary findings suggest that the biological mother may have abandoned the child at the hospital before disappearing. Efforts are underway to trace her and piece together the circumstances that led to the baby’s abandonment.

For now, the rescued infant has been shifted to a shelter home in Noida, where she is receiving care and protection — a fragile life pulled back from the brink of exploitation.

As the investigation unfolds, the case has once again cast a harsh light on the shadowy networks that prey on desperation, turning what should be an act of compassion into a disturbing trade.

With IANS inputs