Himachal: 6 held in infant trafficking case, total 9 arrested
Dharamshala (PTI): The Himahcal Pradesh Police has nabbed six members of an inter-state gang involved in trafficking newborn, taking the total number of arrests in the case to nine, officials said on Tuesday.
Of the total arrested, seven are women, they said, adding that gang used to get infants through illegal means and give them to childless couples in exchange for money.
On February 21, the Dehra Police had busted a gang and rescued a minor following a complaint lodged by Kangra resident Rohit Rana on February 17 in which he alleged that a person named Deepak Anand had cheated him of Rs 23,500 on the pretext of arranging the adoption of a newborn. An FIR was immediately registered.
Deepak Anand (40), a native of Punjab's Jalandhar who lived in Kangra, was arrested and produced before the court. He was remanded to five days' police custody, according to superintendent of Police (SP) Dehra Mayank Choudhary.
Investigation revealed that Deepak was working as an agent for a Punjab-based gang involved in trafficking of babies. He used to identify and contact childless couples and connect them with gang members operating from Punjab.
Subsequently, two women -- Maninderjit Kaur alias Ritu (47), and Anita alias Asha (59) -- were nabbed from Batala and Jalandhar and remanded to three days' police custody.
Financial scrutiny revealed transactions amounting to Rs 4.85 lakh in connection with the illegal deal. A minor was also recovered and as per orders of the Juvenile Justice Board, the child has been handed over to the Special Adoption Agency for care, protection and further legal proceedings, the police said.
The police constituted special investigation teams and carried out an intensive probe, examining technical evidence and financial trails and six more persons were arrested from various locations in Punjab on Monday, Choudhary added.
The six arrested are Neelam Singh (54), Rimpi (38), Jasmel Kaur (60), Karamjit Kaur alias (34), all from Bathinda in Punjab, Kiran (30) from Sirsa in Haryana and Kulwinder (45) from Jalandhar in Punjab.
All accused are being produced before the competent court, investigations are underway and further disclosures are expected as interrogation continues, the police added.
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Video of young men brandishing deadly weapons at wedding procession in Kalaburagi goes viral
Shimla (PTI): The management of the Atal Institute of Medical Super Specialities (AIMSS) here on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to the sanitation supervisor and sanitation workers after a dog was seen carrying an amputated human leg in its mouth near the hospital, officials said.
A video of the incident, which took place on Tuesday and triggered panic among people, is doing the rounds on social media. When the hospital security staff tried to take away the limb from the dog, it got aggressive and fled, leaving behind the amputated leg.
Taking cognisance of the incident, the hospital authorities ordered the constitution of a fact-finding committee comprising Nursing Superintendent Leelawati, Nodal Officer (Biomedical Waste) Rajesh Verma, and Matron Leela Bodh, the officials said.
The committee was tasked with investigating the matter, fixing responsibility and identifying lapses to prevent recurrence of such incidents. It was asked to submit its report by 5 pm on Tuesday.
According to the committee's report, a patient's leg was amputated above the knee on February 19 under the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) Department.
"The amputated limb was properly packed in a biomedical waste bag and stored in the Biomedical Waste (BMW) complex at AIMSS for disposal by the authorised agency, Enviro Engineers," it said.
"However, on the night of February 21, while shifting biomedical waste to the BMW complex, sanitation workers reportedly left the door of the waste complex open and unattended. It is suspected that during this time, a stray dog managed to pull the amputated limb out of the packed waste bag. The next day, an empty waste bag was found outside the BMW complex," it added.
The report further revealed that sanitation workers attempted to trace the missing limb but were unsuccessful. It was later recovered from the dog.
Based on the report, the hospital management has sought explanations from the sanitation supervisor and sanitation staff and stated that further disciplinary action will be taken based on their responses, the officials said.
Additionally, the sanitation contractor has been directed to strictly adhere to biomedical waste management protocols and the disposal agency has been instructed to ensure timely clearance of biomedical waste from the hospital premises in accordance with prescribed guidelines, they said.
