Taken from stations: How three women ran a kidnapping racket at New Delhi rly stn | Latest News Delhi News Air Insight

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They came from different worlds—a nurse from Faridabad, a migrant from West Bengal, and an accountant working for lawyers in Delhi. But together, the three women made New Delhi Railway Station into their hunting ground, where they picked up toddlers from crowded platforms and sold them off to desperate, childless couples—some wanting sons, others simply seeking hope.

A total of six people were arrested, while others, including intermediaries and adopting couples, were bound by law to appear before the court. (FILE)
A total of six people were arrested, while others, including intermediaries and adopting couples, were bound by law to appear before the court. (FILE)

Between July 2023 and January 2025, Delhi Police’s railway unit cracked open the racket, tracing three kidnappings to the same trio, according to three police officers who worked the case. Two children—a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and a four-month-old girl—were already sold to families in Ghaziabad and Delhi’s Paharganj. A third child, a three-year-old boy, was abandoned after failing to attract a buyer.

The masterminds, police said, were 35-year-old Aarti (born Razina Koti), 45-year-old nurse Kanta Bhujel, and 32-year-old accountant Nirmala Nemmi. Aarti’s 28-year-old husband Suraj Singh also assisted in the crimes.

A total of six people were arrested, while others, including intermediaries and adopting couples, were bound by law to appear before the court. The arrested people were booked under sections 137(2) (kidnapping any person from lawful guardianship), 143 (trafficking of a person), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). If convicted by the court, the arrested people may face a jail term of upto seven years and a penalty.

A descent into crime

Aarti’s journey began in Bardhaman, West Bengal. Married at 18 and a mother of two, at the age of 35, she fled an abusive marriage in 2017 and settled in Faridabad, according to the disclosures she made with police during the investigation. There she met Suraj Singh, a 28-year-old labourer, and married him the same year, taking the name Aarti after a priest solemnised the union.

By early 2023, Aarti was pregnant again and struggling financially. She began visiting a clinic run by Bhujel, who posed as “Dr Priya” in the neighbourhood despite just being a nurse. During one visit, Bhujel offered Aarti money to sell her unborn child to a childless couple. Around the same time, Aarti met Nirmala, who also offered to arrange illegal adoptions using forged documents.

Eventually, the trio decided to bypass pregnancy altogether and began abducting children instead.

The first kidnapping

On July 31, 2023, Aarti abducted a three-year-old boy sleeping near the ticket counter at New Delhi Railway Station. She kept him at her home in Faridabad for two days, hoping Bhujel would find a buyer. When Bhujel refused to accept the kidnapped boy, Aarti panicked and abandoned him near a toll plaza in Faridabad, said an investigator, who asked not to be named.

“The boy was found by the Haryana police, and he was restored to his family through the New Delhi railway police station’s team that was probing that case,” the investigator added. At the time, no one knew who had taken him.

The second and third kidnappings

On October 17, 2024, Aarti returned to the station and picked up a two-and-a-half-year-old boy sleeping beside his mother. She then took an autorickshaw and brought him to her Faridabad house. With Nirmala’s help, she and Suraj posed as the boy’s biological parents and handed him over to a Ghaziabad couple that wanted a son.

Soon, fake adoption papers were prepared, and the couple paid 3 lakh— 1.2 lakh of which went to Aarti and Suraj.

They used the money to buy a motorcycle and clear rent and medical bills, they told police.

Then, on January 21 this year, Aarti abducted a four-month-old girl. Bhujel found a childless couple in Paharganj willing to adopt, telling them the baby was born to an unmarried woman who didn’t want her. They paid 50,000—this time 30,000 went to Aarti.

Both children were later rescued and reunited with their families.

A network of desperation

Investigators said the racket thrived on informal demand for children, especially boys. The accused targeted children of poor families, often asleep at stations. The women forged documents, used fake names, and coordinated over disposable phones. Two intermediaries, who acted as go-betweens, were also identified and are under watch.

While the adopting couples claimed ignorance about the kidnappings, police say they are still verifying their level of awareness.

“All three accused women knew the law. They operated with a chilling mix of calculation and desperation,” said a senior officer. “They knew what age sold, what didn’t, and how to vanish before anyone could notice.”

The case has underscored how vulnerable children remain in crowded urban spaces like railway stations, and how informal adoption networks continue to thrive in the shadows.

“All it took was a conversation, a few forged papers, and some cash,” said the officer. “That’s how easily a child could disappear.”



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