ISLAMABAD: Local police investigating the case of child trafficking, unearthed in the city last week, arrested three Lady Health Workers (LHW) in Peshawar on Thursday – only to lose them to the Peshawar police.

Police sources told Dawn that the Peshawar police insisted that the Islamabad police did not follow the rules in making the arrests. “We will now approach the courts to regain their custody,” said the sources.

Interrogation of Shahzad Ali Zeb and his wife, arrested on January 31 after a newborn baby was recovered in a raid on their house in G-10/4, had led the Ramna police to go after the Peshawar LHWs.

A Lahore-based staffer of a TV news channel, Asif Qureshi, had set the Islamabad police on the trail of possible child traffickers after spotting an ‘Adopt a Baby Islamabad’ posting on the Facebook, and making inquiries.

Qureshi told the police that he was offered a baby for adoption for Rs310,000, and the subsequent police raid and interrogation of Shahzad Ali Zeb and his wife uncovered their racket run in the guise of Al Madad NGO.

Further investigations led to the arrest of Shahzad’s mother and the three LHWs, who are in the custody of the Peshawar police, however.

Dawn has learnt that in the brief opportunity the Islamabad police got to interrogate them, the LHWs reportedly said they traded in babies born to single mothers, or unwanted newborn girls, and stole some from hospitals.

The sources said the hospitals were being contacted to confirm their claim.

No officer of the Islamabad police was willing to speak about the racket on record. “We have instructions from the Central Police Office not to talk or give any information to you,” said an officer.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2015

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