Police rescue 15 infants and detain 78 suspects after busting human-trafficking ring

[TIEPILOT]

Chinese police rescue 15 infants and detain 78 suspects after busting human-trafficking ring

Babies were taken from poor western areas and sold in more prosperous coastal cities, mainland media reports

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 20 January, 2016, 4:36pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 20 January, 2016, 4:40pm

Stephen Chen
[email protected]

Suspects are detained in the raid in Shandong province. Photo: SCMP Pictures

The police have busted a human-trafficking network in eastern China, rescuing 15 infants and detaining 78 suspects, mainland media reports.

Officers carried out simultaneous raids on several locations in Linyi and other cities in Shandong province last week, according to the West China Daily.

Some of the women claimed to be the biological mothers of the children. The police said they were collecting DNA samples as part of the investigation, which would seek to determine whether parents were involved in selling their children for money, according to the report.

The network scouted Sichuan province’s Liangshan prefecture, one of the poorest areas in west China, for victims and sold them in coastal Shangdong.

One of the infants rescued in the raids. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Their transportation network stretched several thousands of kilometres, according to the authorities. The operation was allegedly led a farmer in Liangshan’s Xide county.

The report did not specify the other cities where raids took place.

The authorities said all the children would be kept in a care centre before being returned to their parents.