Newborn ‘For Sale’ On WhatsApp: Noida Nurse Demands Rs 2.6 Lakh In Adoption Racket

A nurse was accused of offering a newborn girl for Rs 2.6 lakh through a WhatsApp message, exposing an alleged illegal adoption racket.

A private hospital in Gautam Buddh Nagar district was sealed, and its license was also revoked on Tuesday (March 24) after its owner and two staff members were allegedly found involved in the 'sale' of a five-day-old girl for Rs 2.6 lakh, police and health officials said, as quoted by PTI. A police team arrested the owner of Navjeevan Hospital, a sanitation worker and an operation theatre technician, while a nurse and her husband are absconding, they said.

Following the arrests, the chief medical officer (CMO) constituted a three-member inquiry committee. Deputy CMO Chandan Soni said the action followed a police report. “The hospital’s licence has been cancelled based on police inputs. A three-member committee led by the CMO will examine all records, including delivery registers, to verify the identities of mothers and detect any manipulation. Its findings will be compiled as evidence and could be important in court,” he said as quoted by TOI.

The licence of the private hospital, Navjeevan, located under Bisrakh police station limits, was cancelled and the facility was sealed, a senior district health officer said, adding that further investigation by the health department is underway.