Two held in baby trafficking case in Kottayam; police probe interstate network

Kottayam: Two men have been arrested for allegedly running a newborn trafficking racket by luring pregnant women from other states to Kerala and attempting to sell their babies after delivery, police said.

The accused were identified as Muppiliraja (27), a native of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, and K S Arjun (21) of Kundaniyil House, Puthukkad, Vagamon. They were arrested during a late-night raid at a house in Theekoy, where the complainant was held captive for several days. Both were produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody.

Police have also named a woman, Harshitha, as an accused in the case.

The arrests followed a complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman from Assam, who alleged that she was brought from Tamil Nadu to Kerala as part of a plan to traffic and sell her unborn child.

According to the complaint, the woman was taken to a secluded house in Theekoy on July 16, where she was wrongfully confined and assaulted after refusing to hand over her baby.

She escaped from the house on July 26 and reached the Erattupetta Police Station. Police said her statement could not be recorded immediately because of a language barrier. A detailed complaint was later filed with the assistance of officials at the care home where she was accommodated.

Investigators suspect that Muppiliraja is the "Karthik" mentioned by the survivor in her complaint. The woman told police that a man identifying himself as Karthik had first contacted her through social media before allegedly bringing her to Kerala. She named Karthik among eight people she said she could identify.

Police said the investigation gathered pace after receiving the woman's detailed complaint. The two men, who were initially detained for questioning, were formally arrested after investigators found prima facie evidence linking them to the allegations.

Officials are expected to seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as they probe the possibility of a larger interstate network involved in trafficking newborn babies. The investigation is being supervised by K Sadan, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Pala.

Meanwhile, officials of the Women and Child Development Department shifted the complainant from the Santhwanam Care Home to the Mahila Mandiram on Tuesday evening.