Police have filed a human trafficking case against a female doctor and two female staff members of a private medical center in Karachi’s Malir area after they allegedly took away a newborn baby after his parents could not afford to pay hospital charges.
According to reports, the baby was later sold to someone in Punjab. The child has since been recovered and reunited with his parents, while the medical facility has been sealed.
The incident came to light when the baby’s father, Sarang Khan, registered a case at the Memon Goth Police Station under sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act 2018 and Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Memon Goth Police official Fayaz Jokhio told media that the baby was recovered from Lahore while raids were being conducted to arrest the suspects.
According to the FIR, Sarang Khan, a laborer from Nooriabad, said his wife, Maheen, had been living with her parents for several months due to family disputes. On October 5, Maheen’s mother, Mrs. Shahnaz, took her to a private clinic in Memon Goth for delivery.
The doctor examined her and suggested a surgery, demanding payment for the procedure. When Mrs. Shahnaz told the doctor that they could not afford the cost, the doctor allegedly introduced them to a woman who “helps poor families and adopts their babies while covering the medical expenses.”
Sarang claimed his wife and mother-in-law agreed to the suggestion and handed over the newborn boy to the woman, who later turned out to be another employee of the clinic.
He further said that his wife and mother-in-law hid the incident from him, but he learned from relatives that his wife had given birth to a baby boy who had been taken away under the pretense of adoption.