The Inside Story
Journalists Expose Illegal Adoption Racket in Kolkata
Two journalists from The Telegraph conducted an exposé in Kolkata, West Bengal, in which they discovered that babies were being sold for adoption through illegal processes. The process of legal adoption in India can take years and cost around Rs. 30,000-40,000, but the journalists found that a baby could be purchased for Rs. 2.5 lakh.
The duo posed as a live-in couple looking to adopt a baby and found themselves at a closed orphanage office. A man with thinning hair greeted them and asked several times who had referred them to the office. He revealed that the orphanage had stopped registering couples and that he could provide them with a baby illegally for the right price.
The man explained that a nursing home would provide the baby and falsify documents to show that the adoptive mother had given birth. The adoptive parents would receive both the mother's discharge certificate and the birth certificate of the child with their names on them, and the papers would be "legal." The man warned the journalists not to mention money or babies on the phone.
On September 22, the man named the price of Rs. 2.5 lakh. The journalists agreed to pay the price and were promised a baby within a week. They made several calls to the man over the course of the next few weeks until October 4. The man assured them that the baby would be healthy and that they could keep in touch with him for further updates.
The illegal adoption racket exposed by The Telegraph's journalists sheds light on a major problem in India, where many couples struggle to adopt legally due to a lengthy and expensive process. The journalists' investigation reveals how easily babies can be bought and sold, and the lack of regulation in the adoption process.
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