Assam pregnant woman escapes alleged newborn trafficking racket in Kerala; 2 arrested

A 22-year-old pregnant woman from Assam, who travelled nearly 3,000 km in search of a safe place to give birth, allegedly found herself trapped in a newborn trafficking racket operating from central Kerala, police said.

Her escape and subsequent complaint led to the arrest of two men and triggered an investigation into an alleged network accused of luring vulnerable pregnant women from other states with promises of free accommodation and medical care before attempting to sell their newborn babies.

The Erattupetta Police arrested Muppili Raja (27), a native of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, and K S Arjun (21) from Kerala’s Idukki district. The two were apprehended from a house at Theekkoy near Pala, where the woman had earlier been staying.

They were produced before a local court and remanded in judicial custody. Police have also registered a case against a woman identified as Harshitha and are searching for others allegedly linked to the racket.

According to the woman’s complaint, she left her home in Assam after allegedly facing sustained pressure from her husband to terminate her pregnancy. Already the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old girl, she claimed that her husband and family opposed her second pregnancy, prompting her to leave in the hope of finding a safe place where she could continue the pregnancy and raise her child.

While in Delhi, she reportedly came across an Instagram account that she believed belonged to a voluntary organisation. The account allegedly offered free accommodation and covered delivery expenses for pregnant women.

Trusting the offer, she travelled to Kerala and reached Kottayam on July 16. Police said Arjun, a hotel management student in Bengaluru, and Harshitha received her and took her to an isolated house surrounded by a rubber plantation at Theekkoy.

The property was allegedly being used as a guest house by Anitha, a private hospital nurse from Coimbatore, and her husband Raja, also known as Karthik.

The woman reportedly became suspicious after she was allegedly told that her newborn would have to be handed over in exchange for Rs 3 lakh following the delivery. Police said she then realised that she may have been trapped by a group allegedly involved in the sale of newborn babies.

She managed to escape with the help of an anganwadi teacher whom she met by chance. With the teacher’s assistance, she reached the Erattupetta Police Station and narrated her ordeal.

The woman was later shifted to Santhwanam, a government-run shelter home in Gandhi Nagar near Kottayam, where she is currently receiving care.

Police said preliminary findings indicate that the accused may have links to a wider network involved in procuring and trafficking newborn babies. Investigators are examining the Instagram account through which the woman was allegedly contacted, financial transactions linked to the case and whether other pregnant women were similarly targeted.

Officials are also working to identify other suspected members of the network and determine whether the alleged operation was active in other states.