Published Jul 30, 2026 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 30, 2026 | 8:00 AM
Representative Image.
Synopsis: A pregnant woman from Assam escaped from a secluded house in Kottayam, exposing what police suspect is a well-organised infant trafficking racket that allegedly lured vulnerable women through social media, confined them until childbirth and planned to sell their newborns. The investigation has since widened, with police probing the syndicate’s digital network, financial trail and fresh evidence suggesting an infant may have been sold months before the case came to light.
A 22-year-old pregnant woman from Assam travelled to Kerala believing she would receive shelter and support until childbirth.
Instead, police say, she walked into what appears to be a carefully organised infant trafficking syndicate that recruited vulnerable women through social media, isolated them in rented houses and allegedly planned every stage of their pregnancies until delivery.
Her escape has now become the starting point of an investigation.
The Erattupetta Police, in Kottayam, on 28 July, arrested two men and widened the investigation into what officers suspect is not an isolated case but a structured operation with links extending beyond Kerala.
Investigators are now trying to uncover the financial transactions, digital identities and wider network that allegedly enabled the racket to function unnoticed.
Police have identified the arrested men as Muppili Raja (27), a native of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, and KS Arjun (21) of Vagamon. Both have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to wrongful confinement, assault and attempted human trafficking. They have been remanded in judicial custody.
The investigation began after a 22-year-old woman from Assam, seven months pregnant, escaped from a rented house at Theekoy near Erattupetta and sought help from the police.
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Investigators believe the syndicate’s most critical strategy was not merely sourcing newborns but tightly controlling pregnancies until childbirth.
According to police, the woman was brought to Kerala after being promised shelter, medical care and support until delivery. Once she reached Kottayam on 16 July, she was taken to an isolated rented house inside a rubber plantation at Theekoy, where she remained for nearly 10 days.
Officers suspect the location functioned as a transit facility where pregnant women could be kept away from public attention until they gave birth.
The complainant told police that two other pregnant women were staying in the house with her.
Investigators believe concentrating expectant mothers in a secluded location would allow the syndicate to monitor pregnancies, arrange deliveries under controlled conditions and reduce the chances of intervention before newborns were allegedly handed over to buyers.
Police are examining whether specific hospitals, intermediaries or forged documentation were intended to be used once deliveries took place.
The investigation has revealed what police believe was an organised digital recruitment process targeting women facing personal crises.
According to the complainant, she had left her home after her husband and relatives allegedly pressured her to terminate her second pregnancy. Already the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, she refused to undergo an abortion.
After travelling to Delhi, she stayed briefly with an NGO before posting about her circumstances on Instagram, expressing her determination to continue the pregnancy.
Police said she was subsequently contacted online by a person identifying himself as Karthik, who claimed to be associated with an organisation that could help pregnant women.
After asking her to share scan reports and personal documents, the caller allegedly transferred ₹2,000 for expenses and arranged her train ticket to Kerala. The person who contacted her online, it is learnt, also shared the whereabouts of the facility in Theekoy.
The complainant alleged that the assurances of protection changed soon after she reached Theekoy.
According to her statement, the accused told her they would ensure a safe delivery only if she agreed to surrender the baby after childbirth. In return, she was allegedly offered ₹3 lakh.
Police said she was also asked to sign consent documents.
When she refused to part with her baby, she alleged that she was assaulted, kicked in the stomach, threatened and forced to remain inside the house. She further claimed that her mobile phone and identity documents were taken away.
Investigators are examining these allegations as part of the trafficking case.
The woman eventually managed to escape and ran towards the main road, where local residents helped her reach the Erattupetta police station.
Police later shifted her to a shelter home in Gandhinagar before moving her to Mahila Mandiram in Kallara for protection.
Police suspect fake online identities may have played a crucial role in creating trust before the woman was persuaded to travel hundreds of kilometres away from home.
According to the police, Raja’s wife, Aparna, who is Arjun’s sister, is also under the scanner. Officers believe the trio had been operating from the Erattupetta area for the past two months. Their alleged role, along with that of several others using different identities on social media, is now being investigated.
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With two arrests made in the alleged infant trafficking case, investigators have now shifted their focus to what they believe could be a far wider network operating across state borders.
The inquiry is no longer confined to identifying those directly involved in housing the pregnant woman from Assam, but is expanding to determine whether an organised chain recruited vulnerable women, arranged their transport, managed their pregnancies and ultimately facilitated the illegal transfer of newborns.
Senior officers say every link in the chain is now under scrutiny.
District Police Chief KM Sabu Mathew has ordered an expanded probe, while Pala DySP Sadan K is leading the investigation, which is expected to extend beyond Kerala to establish whether similar operations had taken place before the present case surfaced.
One of the primary questions before investigators is whether the secluded house at Theekoy functioned as a one-time hideout or as a recurring transit point for pregnant women brought from different states.
Police are verifying the survivor’s statement that other pregnant women had stayed at the premises and are examining whether similar “safe houses” may have operated elsewhere in Kerala.
The investigation is also expected to identify individuals who may have worked behind the scenes.
Investigators are trying to trace those suspected of recruiting pregnant women through social media, arranging travel, securing accommodation, operating online accounts under assumed identities and coordinating with prospective adoptive parents.
The role of persons using multiple aliases on social media platforms is also being verified.
A significant part of the inquiry is likely to focus on the digital footprint left behind by the alleged syndicate.
According to investigators, the complainant was initially contacted through Instagram by persons presenting themselves as members of a charitable or adoption-support organisation.
Cyber investigators are expected to analyse social media accounts, communication records, internet protocol data and electronic devices seized during the probe to identify those operating behind fake identities and determine whether similar online profiles were used to approach other vulnerable women.
Financial transactions are another crucial aspect of the investigation.
Officers are examining whether money changed hands at different stages of the alleged operation, from arranging travel and accommodation to the suspected sale of newborns.
Bank accounts, UPI transfers, digital wallets and other payment channels are likely to be analysed to identify the flow of funds, possible financiers and individuals who may have acted as intermediaries.
The case has also raised questions about how the alleged network intended to manage childbirth.
Investigators are expected to determine whether deliveries were planned at recognised medical institutions or whether there were attempts to avoid official records altogether.
If hospitals were to be used, police are likely to examine whether false identities, fabricated guardianship documents or forged personal details were intended to facilitate birth registration and subsequent transfer of the infant. Any hospital admissions, medical records or registration documents linked to the accused, investigators believe, will form an important part of the inquiry.
At the same time, officers are not ruling out the possibility of clandestine deliveries outside institutional settings.
It is learnt that investigators may search for evidence such as medicines, delivery equipment or indications that unauthorised medical assistance had been arranged if the syndicate intended to bypass hospitals altogether. Such findings could help establish the extent of planning involved and identify additional accomplices.
The investigation is also expected to examine whether any medical professionals or support staff knowingly or unknowingly became part of the alleged operation. Police are likely to verify whether pharmacies supplied medicines connected to pregnancy or childbirth, whether private medical facilities had any interaction with the accused and whether any healthcare workers played a role in facilitating documentation or treatment.
The inter-state nature of the case has further widened the scope of the inquiry.
The complainant’s journey from Assam through Delhi before reaching Kerala, coupled with the involvement of suspects from different states, has prompted investigators to explore possible inter-state linkages.
Police are expected to coordinate with their counterparts outside Kerala to trace missing women, identify additional victims and verify whether newborns may have been trafficked through similar channels in the past.
Investigators are also expected to identify prospective recipients of infants and determine whether illegal adoption arrangements had already been negotiated. Officials believe establishing the identities of those at the receiving end of the alleged network will be crucial in dismantling the racket completely.
“The objective is not merely to arrest the people who physically confined the victim. Every person who recruited women, arranged logistics, handled finances, created false identities or facilitated the transfer of infants forms part of the criminal conspiracy. Human trafficking networks survive because different individuals perform different roles, and the investigation has to expose every layer,” an officer associated with an Anti-Human Trafficking Unit said.
Officers say the investigation will place equal emphasis on protecting survivors while dismantling the infrastructure that enables such crimes.
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At the same time, fresh evidence uncovered during the investigation has led police to believe that the alleged network may have been involved in trafficking newborns even before the present case surfaced.
District Police Chief KM Sabu Mathew said investigators had gathered preliminary evidence indicating that an infant had allegedly been sold a few months earlier. Based on these findings, the police have registered a fresh case on their own, expanding the scope of the investigation beyond the confinement of the Assam woman.
According to the officer, the suspected trafficking took place within Kerala, and the probe is expected to identify additional individuals who may have participated in different stages of the operation.
As part of the widening investigation, police on Wednesday took a woman into custody from Kollam for her alleged involvement in the racket. Investigators have also approached the court seeking custody of the two men who were remanded earlier this week, as they believe further custodial interrogation is necessary to trace the syndicate’s wider network, establish the movement of infants and identify others suspected to have played key roles in the operation.
