KARACHI: Two female employees of a private medical facility in Karachi’s Malir neighborhood — including a doctor — have been charged with human trafficking after allegedly taking away a newborn from a family unable to pay childbirth expenses, police said on Sunday.
According to authorities, the baby — later sold to a buyer in Punjab — has been recovered and reunited with his parents, while the health facility has been sealed.
On November 1, Sarang Khan, the infant’s father, filed a case with the Memon Goth police under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018 and Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Baby Sold After Family Couldn’t Pay Delivery Charges
Memon Goth police officer Fayaz Jokhio told Dawn newspaper that the newborn boy was traced and recovered from Lahore. “Raids are being conducted to arrest the nominated suspects,” he said.
In the FIR, Mr Khan stated that he was a labourer from a village in Nooriabad. His pregnant wife, Maheen, had moved to her parents’ home after a family dispute a few months earlier.
Her mother, Mrs. Shahnaz, took her to a private clinic in Murad Memon Goth on October 5 for delivery. After a check-up, the attending doctor advised a surgical operation and demanded payment.
When the family expressed financial hardship, the doctor allegedly introduced them to a woman who “helps the poor and adopts their children” in exchange for covering medical costs.
Police Recover Infant from Punjab
According to the complainant, his wife and mother-in-law agreed to the arrangement, handing over the baby boy to the woman, later identified as another employee of the same medical facility.
Mr Khan said he remained unaware of the incident until relatives informed him that his wife had delivered a boy who had been given away for adoption at the hospital.
Police confirmed that the baby had since been recovered from Lahore and reunited with his family, while investigations continue to track down the accused.
