The CBI on Friday busted a countrywide network of child traffickers by arresting seven of the accused who were allegedly selling babies to childless couples through social media.

Three newborns were rescued during the operation which involved raiding
several locations in Delhi and Haryana, agency officials said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, the CBI on Friday night conducted searches at seven locations across Delhi and Haryana and rescued two male infants aged 1 day and 15 days and one female aged a month.

The accused allegedly contacted childless couples through advertisements on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.

“They allegedly purchased babies from real parents as well as surrogate mothers and thereafter used to sell the infants at prices ranging from Rs 4 to 6 lakh per child. These accused are also allegedly involved in swindling many childless couples out of lakhs of rupees by creating fake documents related to adoption,” the CBI official said.

A preliminary probe has revealed that the racket straddles multiple states
with several hospitals also under scrutiny.