New Delhi (Agency): The Kolkata Police have uncovered a shocking illegal child selling racket, involving around 100 surrogate mothers and a network of numerous agents and sub-agents. This extensive operation has led to the arrest of a key figure, Mamata Patra, one of the main minds behind this illicit trade. An In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) center has also been identified as being involved in the scheme.
Police conducted raids and search operations at the IVF center, located at Anandapur in the southern outskirts of Kolkata. The discovery of this racket came while police were investigating a case involving a mother, Rupali Mondal, who was arrested on August 1 for attempting to sell her child to another woman, Kalyani Guha. Both Mondal and Guha were taken into custody by the city police.
As the police looked deeper into the situation, they discovered the major racket behind it. According to an anonymous city police official, once a couple unable to bear a child contacted the IVF center, its staff would reach out to Mamata Patra. She would then promise the couple a child after a reasonable period.
“In the meantime, Patra through her agent network would contact any woman coming from a financially backward section with a proposal for purchasing their womb at an amount ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. After the baby was born, it was handed over to the couple at an amount ranging from Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 4,50,000,” the police official confirmed.
Shockingly, Patra herself had recently rented her womb and earned a large sum by selling the newborn. The IVF center under investigation was also the place of surrogacy for her own case. The city police are now trying to locate that particular newborn.
The police are not ruling out the involvement of some IVF specialists in the matter. Their participation in this illegal activity could further broaden the scope of the investigation.
This is not an isolated incident in the region. On July 23, a couple, Jaideb Chowdhury (father) and Sathi Chowdhury (mother), were arrested by the police in North 24 Parganas district of the state for selling their own child to buy alcohol. The child’s grandfather, Kanai Chowdhury, was also taken into custody.
The revelation of this extensive child trafficking network in Kolkata involving surrogate mothers and a well-known IVF center highlights the deeply troubling and intricate challenges facing law enforcement in tackling human trafficking. The involvement of healthcare professionals and a systematic network of agents raises serious concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable women and infants.
With arrests made and the investigation ongoing, this case sheds light on the darker aspects of surrogacy and IVF practices. It emphasizes the urgent need for stringent regulations, oversight, and ethical compliance in the fertility industry to protect those most at risk.