Baby Sold on Facebook By Grandfather, But Later Reunited with Mother: Glance Into India's Children Trafficking Industry

A newborn baby boy from India was rescued by police authorities Tuesday from the hands of his traffickers after the mother reported the child missing.

Noora Khan, a divorcee, gave birth to a baby boy on April 8 in a hospital in Ludhiana City.  She was told that her baby was sick and had died the following day. Prompted by her motherly instincts, Noora suspected her father had something to do with the baby's alleged death and disappearance. She then sought help from the local police.

Police tracked down Feroz to Saharanpur City in Uttar Pradesh where the latter was interrogated.  Feroz statements disclosed that he sold his grandson for Rs 45,000 to a hospital nurse named Sunita.  Sunita then sold the baby for Rs 300,000 to another hospital employee identified as Gurpreet Singh.  Singh posted a deal in Facebook including the child's photo which later ended an 800,000 rupee transaction with a Delhi-based businessman.

The police raided the house of the Delhi-based businessman Tuesday which resulted in the arrest of the latter and another unidentified person.  While the baby was successfully reunited with his mother, Feroz and his two accomplices will be looking into serving seven years in jail if found guilty, according to Ludhiana police. 

Based on 2011 data, there are 815 criminal gangs in India engaged in kidnapping of children. These groups composing of around 5,000 members utilized their victims in prostitution and begging. The Indian Federal Police estimated that some 10,000 children are being trafficked out of India every year.  

Social networking sites like Facebook has become a favorable conduit for illegal activities which sometimes lead to the commission of much serious crimes like child trafficking.  In the same way, social networking sites could also aid in providing authorities necessary information to strengthen the case on these criminal offenders.

Early this year, a similar Facebook incident transpired in Oklahoma, US that incarcerated Misty Van Horn.  Van Horn offered to sell her ten-month old and two year old children on the said social networking site in an effort to raise money for her boyfriend's bail bond.  The ten-month old child was priced at $1,000 while a package deal for both kids is placed at $4,000.  A concerned potential buyer reported Van Horn to the police which led to her arrest. The Van Horn kids are now under government custody while their mother is held by authorities for a $40,000 bail.