India: Kidnappers Arrested in Adoption Racket

Police in Hyderabad, India have uncovered what appears to be a kidnapping for domestic adoption scheme.

It began on Saturday when a woman was captured by residents of Saibaba Nager on as she allegedly tried to abduct a boy from his home.

The woman, identified as Kalki Darmi AKA "Sujatha," was upon investigation found to have allegedly abduced at least four other children. These included:

• Ten month old Yesu Babu who was kidnapped from Madhapur and then sold to a childless couple in Bhiwandi


• Two year old Atheef Khan who was kidnapped from Banjara Hills and then sold to another couple in Bhiwandi


• A child sold to adoptive parents in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh


• A six month old who has not yet had a chance to be identified by his original parents, but who is suspected to be Kartik from Fateh Nagar

Sujatha is the sister of a man named "Narsya" who allegedly was known have been looking for childless couples who wanted to adopt.

According to the The Times of India Online article:

The children had price tags ranging from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 25,000.

"She sold children like cattle"

(7,500 rupees is about $167 US; 25,000 rupees is about $556 US. This would figure out to about a month's salary for a middle class family; or about a six month's earnings for a poor family)

It would appear that sister and brother had implemented a profitable business. Sister allegedly abducting the babies and brother allegedly providing the same to adoptive parents for a tidy sum.

Kidnapper a cog in adoption racket?, The Times of India Online, 03/26/07

IMO, this story illustrates the idea that healthy young children are monetarily valuable where there exists market demand for them. And because of this, there is financial incentive for the unscrupulous to obtain healthy young children by whatever means possible, to fill this market demand. This is the case even in a country which we in the West usually understand to be teeming with "orphans." The truth also may be that India may not be quite as teeming with (healthy young) orphans as we've been led to believe. It may also have a bigger bevy of infertile, middle class couples who are willing to pay for healthy young children then we've been lead to believe.

Desiree