Key Points:
A two day old baby girl was allegedly sold for ₹2.10 lakh in Ludhiana on February 15, 2026.
Police arrested five people including the biological mother and a BAMS doctor.
The newborn was born on February 13 at Arora Nursing Home and handed over through a network of intermediaries.
Locals grew suspicious after the infant kept crying in a park and alerted authorities, exposing the racket.
Police registered a case at Division No. 6 police station under illegal adoption and human trafficking provisions; the baby is now under protection.
Punjab Police arrested five people, including the newborn’s mother and a BAMS doctor, for allegedly selling a two day old baby girl for ₹2.10 lakh in Ludhiana.
The case came to light on February 15, 2026, when residents noticed a woman holding a continuously crying newborn in a park on Neela Jhanda Road. Suspicious locals questioned her and alerted police after she reportedly admitted she had paid money for the child.
Police recovered the infant safely and placed her under protective care. A case was registered at Division No. 6 police station, Ludhiana under provisions related to illegal adoption and human trafficking.
The baby girl was born on February 13, 2026, at Arora Nursing Home near Baba Than Singh Chowk to Sunita Devi, a resident of Sherpur Kalan in Ludhiana and originally from Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
According to investigators, Sunita Devi already had four daughters and the birth of another girl allegedly led to family pressure to give away the newborn.
Police said the deal was fixed at ₹2.10 lakh
₹1.5 lakh to be paid to the biological mother
₹60,000 to be distributed among intermediaries as commission
Police said a network of health workers and intermediaries coordinated the transaction.
Sunita Devi contacted hospital nurse Asha
Asha informed Parveen, a nurse and domestic helper from Khud Mohalla
Parveen contacted nurse Gurmeet Kaur of Ajitwal village in Moga
Gurmeet approached Pamma, an ASHA worker from Amritsar
Pamma informed Manmeet Kaur, a BAMS doctor from Punjab Mata Nagar
The doctor contacted caretaker Ruchi from Mohalla Sant Kabir Nagar
Ruchi reached out to Mandeep Kaur of Nangal village, Moga, who agreed to buy the child
The group gathered at the park on February 15 to complete the handover. The infant kept crying continuously, drawing attention from nearby residents, which ultimately exposed the racket.
Those arrested include
Sunita Devi, mother of the infant
Manmeet Kaur, BAMS doctor
Mandeep Kaur, prospective buyer
Parveen, intermediary
Ruchi, caretaker and contact person
Police are also examining the role of staff at the nursing home where the child was born.
Officials stated that adoption must only occur through legal agencies and court procedures.
The rescued newborn has been placed under official protection while further investigation continues to identify additional involvement in the trafficking network.
The probe is being supervised by ACP Central Jaskirat Singh Teja.
(Rh/ARC)
