A hospital has been accused of using pregnant women as slaves after it was discovered that babies were being traded to childless couples for $1839.
Palash Hospital, a private hospital in central India 30-bed clinic in the Gwailor district of India is being labelled a “baby farm” after authorities reportedly closed in on the illegal baby trade with police rescuing two of the infants who were sold for profit.
Prateek Kumar, from the ASP crime branch, told the Times of India: “Three others have been sold to childless couples in Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh.”
According to reports the hospital’s manager, Arun Bhadoria was arrested and told police that women with unwanted pregnancies had been targeted by those involved in the infant trafficking.
When hospital administrators could not provide the whereabouts of two babies born there an investigation was launched. SBS reports that so far five people have been charged, including the Palash Hospital’s director, TK Gupta, hospital manager Arun Bhadoria, and a few parents who have purchased babies from them – some of those charges include slavery offences.
An officer involved in the case told the Times of India: “When a girl or her parents approached them for a termination of pregnancies, doctors at this hospital used to convince them assuring a safe and secret delivery.”
“Once the baby is delivered and the mother gets discharged, hospital authorities start hunting for gullible couples who could buy them.”
Following a tip-off about babies being sold the hospital was raided at the weekend and police are now looking for those people who bought or sold the babies.
