On the heels of the horrific news of the gang rape and subsequent death of a physiotherapy student, we have another troubling case out of India – this time involving the sale of a baby:

A gynecologist, Dr Bharat Atit, husband of former BJP mayor Malini Atit, has been booked along with three others for human trafficking. They have been charged with illegal sale and adoption of a newborn baby.

Deputy commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Shukla said: “We have booked Dr Atit and the three others – Rajkumar Jadav, Ganpat Parmar and a nurse Niru Rathi – for illegal sale of the baby. Further investigations are on to establish the charges levelled against the accused.”

The complainant in this case is Divya Raviya, police inspector of Mahila police station. Probe into the matter began in 2012 when a complaint of rape was lodged at the Mahila police station by a city-based woman who had accused her boyfriend Rajkumar Jadav, a resident of Nadiad. The complainant had accused Jadav who is the son of a cop, of raping her. She was five-month pregnant then.

During investigation, the women police officials had found that the complaint of rape was false. At this juncture, the woman had also met with crime branch officials in which she had clarified that her boyfriend had not raped her. This move was aimed at stopping the police from arresting Jadav for rape.

“The allegation of rape was spurred by a financial dispute between the woman and her boyfriend. During investigation we also found that the woman had given birth to a baby boy in 2011. This baby was sold illegally to a couple based in Rajkot. Dispute over distribution of the money earned had triggered the rape complaint,” said an official of the crime branch.

Based on this revelation, the women police officials submitted a B-summary report to crime branch authorities. The report said that the complaint was fake but there were enough evidences to support that the newborn had indeed been sold illegally. Then the complaint was lodged by Raviya under directions of senior crime branch officials.

More on the surrogacy angle:

Officials of the Detection of Crime Branch have charged him for forgery of valuable security documents. Cases have also been registered under IPC section 467 and 468 for the forgery. Detailed investigation in this case has hinted at the possibility of Dr Atit having sold children earlier as well.

In a statement given to the DCB, nurse Neeru Rathe, one of the accused, has confirmed that Atit had made fake surrogacy papers in order to sell Mona Thakore’s boy to a Rajkot-based couple on October 6, 2011.

According to the DCB, Atit was aware of the rule that made government’s approval mandatory for giving children up for adoption. Therefore, he arranged for fake documents in connivance with the attendant at a nearby medical store.

In a statement given by the medical store attendant to the DCB, it was revealed that not only did Atit arrange fake documents but also mentioned wrong details in the birth certificates as well.

The DCB officials will now conduct a DNA test of Thakore, Rajkumar (her lover) and the infant to confirm the paternity of the child. If the results are negative, the DCB will ask Harikrisha Ahari, Thakore’s first husband, to undergo the test.

Interestingly, the DCB had seized the fake documents made by Atit a few months back but the investigation was put on hold due to the approaching state assembly elections. According to an official source, former BJP mayor Malini Atit had made a verbal representation at the CMO, alleging harassment of her husband by police.