Chennai: CB-CID to probe trafficking in newborns by nurse

Chennai: The case of a retired government nurse in Namakkal indulging in trafficking of newborns has been transferred to the Crime Branch CID for intensive investigation, considering she has been allegedly doing her nefarious work for the last 30 years.

Director General of Police T K Rajendran has issued orders transferring the probe into the case to the Crime Branch-CID. Among the prime factors that the sleuths must probe is whether the babies sold were stolen.

Ex-nurse Amutha, her husband and an ambulance driver who was part of the racket, have already been arrested along with a few others by the district police following exhaustive reportage in the media and also the social media slamming the government accusing it of slackness.

Though the woman and her nefarious network have been active for long, the issue came to light only after an audio clip of a conversation went viral, wherein Amutha is purportedly admitting that she was involved in this racket for 30 years. This caused a huge furore in the state.

 After the audio clip went viral, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Beela Rajesh instructed the director of the Health and Rural Welfare Department to look into the case.   In the audio clip, Amutha purportedly said she had sold newborn girls for Rs 2.75 lakh and if the babies were fair and good looking, they were sold for Rs three lakh.   Newborn boys were sold for Rs three lakh and if they were handsome “like the Amul baby”, for Rs 3.75 lakh to Rs 4.25 lakh, she had said in the clipping, recorded by a “prospective client”.   

The woman had also said in the clip that she even arranged for the birth certificate from the local body officials if an extra Rs 70,000 was paid.

She has been accused of being involved in selling newborns in connivance with the staff of the maternity clinics after she took voluntary retirement.