Newborn allegedly sold for house construction promise; Lucknow hospital, 2 doctors booked
Lucknow: A private hospital in Lucknow and two doctors have come under police scrutiny after investigators allegedly uncovered a baby-selling arrangement involving fraudulent hospital records. The case has raised concerns over the alleged manipulation of birth records to bypass legal adoption laws.
An FIR was lodged against the accused, including the newborn's biological mother, the woman who received the child, two doctors and the management of the private hospital in Lucknow.
Officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Unit, working alongside Gudamba Police, stated the plan was set in motion months before the child was even born. Investigators alleged that a labourer from Bahadurpur, who already had three children, struck an informal understanding with a homemaker from Shanti Vihar who did not have children of her own. In exchange for handing over the baby once born, the homemaker is said to have offered to fund the construction of a house for the labourer's family.
Police said the child was handed over at the hospital on August 3, two days after the delivery. What makes the case particularly troubling for investigators is how the paperwork was allegedly managed: the biological mother was reportedly admitted for delivery under the homemaker's identity, a move that allowed hospital records to show the homemaker, not the labourer, as the child's biological mother.
The case came to light after police, acting on specific information, conducted a raid at the homemaker's home and recovered the infant. Following this, an FIR was lodged naming the homemaker, the biological mother, two doctors linked to the hospital, and the hospital's management.
The hospital administration claimed that the woman had been admitted under a fabricated name and that staff were unaware of the alleged fraudulent admission. Police have not ruled this explanation out but say they are treating no aspect of the case as settled until the probe is complete.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Kiran Yadav said investigators are scrutinising the hospital's birth and discharge records, digital data, electronic evidence and financial transactions. She added that DNA fingerprinting of the newborn and the concerned individuals would be conducted if required to establish biological parentage, reports India Today.
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the case is part of a larger racket, and are examining whether it connects to an organised network dealing in illegal child sales or trafficking more broadly.
Meanwhile, the newborn has been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee and is currently housed at a Government Children's Home in Hazratganj as the investigation continues.
