More than 1,000 arrested in China for trafficking babies on the internet
The authorities rescued 382 infants from trafficking operations in 27 cities and also smashed four baby-smuggling rings, a statement on the ministry's website said.
Chinese police have arrested more than 1,000 people for trafficking babies on the internet, the Ministry of Public Security announced yesterday.
The authorities rescued 382 infants from trafficking operations in 27 cities and also smashed four baby-smuggling rings, a statement on the ministry's website said.
The crackdown on February 19 was launched after police in Beijing and Jiangsu received a tip-off last year that the suspects were engaged in child trafficking by running a website that promoted baby adoption.
Further inquiries showed the suspects operated four such websites, and used various tools on the internet, such as an instant messaging platform and online bulletin boards, to communicate with potential buyers.
A total of 1,094 suspects were arrested, the ministry said.
One of the suspects, Zhou Daifu, said he had paid up to 3,000 yuan (HK$3,774) to another suspect for procuring government registration certificates for the smuggled babies, reported People's Daily. Zhou would then resell the certificates, it said.
He would also require both the seller and buyer of the registration certificates to make a "donation", which usually cost up to 6 per cent of the transaction amount, to his websites.