Security operatives have busted a ruthless baby-selling syndicate operating in Cross River State, rescuing a newborn baby who was sold for N3 million in a heartless fake pregnancy scam.

The dramatic raid exposed the criminal network that allegedly used fake pregnancies to traffic infants, dealing a major blow to the illicit trade in the state.

Vanguard learned that Operatives of the Cross River State Homeland Safety & Security Agency (HSSA) busted the child trafficking syndicate operating a “fake pregnancy” scheme in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, Mary Solomon, 42; Patience Akumuruk, 46; Juliet Efut, 43; and delivery home operator Umoh Effiong Edet, alias “Glory” were apprehended on Tuesday, June 24.

Vanguard gathered that the suspects were apprehended after operatives led by the HSSA Akpabuyo Unit Commander, Comrade Eyo, intercepted a commercial taxi conveying the infant along the Maternity Junction axis.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Edet ran a covert scheme called “implanting,” in which clients are made to feign pregnancy for up to a year through induced physical changes, while a real pregnant girl is secretly housed until delivery.

“During this period, the real mother is housed secretly. When she delivers, the baby is handed over to the client for a fee, while the public believes it was a legitimate birth,” the source told Vanguard.

Further findings revealed that the rescued infant was sold for N3 million, and that the identity of the child’s biological mother remains unknown.

It was gathered that all four suspects have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) through the Operation Okwok office in Calabar for further investigation and prosecution.

A senior official at NAPTIP who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that Solomon, one of the arrested suspects, was actually a “victim” of a related “local IVF scam” run by operators of birth homes in Akpabuyo.

“One of the suspects, who is actually a victim, thought she was legitimately giving birth biologically, and she paid three million naira, not knowing it was just the usual baby scam,” the official said.

The source added that some syndicate members remained at large, with efforts ongoing to track them down.

“This is a wider network. What we have uncovered so far is just one arm of it. We are working to ensure nobody involved escapes justice, the source said. (Vanguard)