Lahore [Pakistan], December 29 : A disturbing human trafficking ring involving the sale of newborn babies has been uncovered. The infants, often treated like commodities, are sold for large sums of money, ARY News reported.
The illegal trade of newborns has become so widespread and organized in the country that controlling it has become a major challenge for authorities. In many cases, impoverished families are left with no choice but to sell their babies to survive, a reflection of the country's governance failures.
An investigation exposed a group involved in this racket in Lahore. The buyers of these babies typically fall into two categories: childless couples looking to adopt, and criminals seeking young girls for exploitation, as per ARY News.
During the operation, the team uncovered a deal where a three-day-old baby boy and a 26-day-old baby girl were being sold for a total of Pakistan currency (PKR) 2.3 million. The boy was priced at PKR 1.4 million, while the girl was being sold for PKR 900,000.
According to ARY News, the most shocking discovery in the investigation was that the newborns were being sold by their biological parents through a criminal network. The gang had already sold nearly 25 children before this incident was exposed.
The operation was launched after the ARY News team, using the internet and connections on the dark web, identified and infiltrated the group.
The main suspect, Mishal, openly admitted to her involvement, boasting that she had sold 25 children. She even brought her own baby to the meeting. The sale of the children was finalised, and arrangements were made for them to be delivered to a designated location
Following a strategic operation, the police and child protection team arrested the traffickers before they could complete the transaction, rescuing the children from a life of exploitation.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor