The mastermind, and arrested accused Asha Thakur would con street dwellers into parting with their children saying that she had several 'high-class' clients who would pay lakhs for their baby
Mankhurd police caught six accused on December 12. CCTV grab where accused Yogita is seen holding baby Ahmad near Mankhurd station
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The modus operandi of the perpetrators behind a baby-selling racket — which was busted on December 12 — has been revealed. The mastermind, and arrested accused Asha Thakur would con street dwellers into parting with their children saying that she had several ‘high-class’ clients who would pay lakhs for their baby.
She would coax them into the deal saying they could make some money by selling their baby and as for another child, they could have one anytime they wanted.
Also Read: Yet another baby-selling racket busted by Mumbai police, four women held
Yogita Sale, another arrested accused, told the police during interrogation that Asha convinced her to bring babies for her, which she would sell to those who need them and get lots of money in return. Yogita, who was stuck in an unhappy household with her in-laws, wanted a separate home for herself and her husband. She readily gave into Asha’s plan and stole the baby of her cousins Mohammad Arif Khan and Yasmin Khan on December 4.
Stole my baby, ran
Narrating what happened prior to the kidnapping, Yasmin said, “My mother took my baby out as Yogita asked to play with her. Then, my mother diverted my attention to other things and just then, Yogita stole my baby and ran off.”
Yasmin and Mohammed registered a complaint on December 5 but couldn’t find their one and half-year-old son Ahmad Jafar Khan or Yogita for another week. Yasmin told cops she suspected Yogita of stealing Ahmad, after which cops started looking for her and found her on December 12. She was also captured on CCTV with Ahmad outside Mankhurd station.
Read Story: Mumbai: Mankhurd police recover four more babies sold in racket
Meanwhile, after further probe into the case, cops found that the couples who had bought the babies were taking utmost care of them. Upon being asked why they paid R2-4 lakh to Asha for the children when several NGOs give babies for adoption without charging a single penny, one of the couples said Asha told them she’s taking the money for legal procedures and the baby’s mother.
Three teams formed
DCP Zone 6 Shahaji Umap told mid-day, “We have approached the child welfare committee to look into why couples are opting for this way of adopting a child, what are the problems faced by them in adopting the baby legally. The illegal adoptions in different states is helping this racket enjoy the money after selling the babies.”
He added, “We have formed three teams to find more accused who are involved in the network and trying our best to rescue other babies who were sold by them.”
Cops believe at least five more accomplices could still be absconding. In addition to Yogita and Asha, the other arrested accused in the case are: Nurjahan Mulla, Prabhavati Naik, Ganesh Sale (Yogita’s husband) and Mala Wankhede.
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