KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have broken a baby-selling racket in southern Johor state, seizing four infants and detaining 23 people including a doctor and a government registrar, reports said on Sunday.

The New Straits Times said the syndicate bought babies from poor women who were talked out of having abortions, and then sold them to childless couples.

It said police were investigating how many children were sold, and whether any went to Singaporean couples.

In raids conducted on Thursday on houses in Johor, which lies next to Singapore, authorities found four babies aged between seven months and one year, and detained four couples who had bought children, it said.

“The babies are now under the care of the state welfare department,” Johor’s criminal investigation department chief Amer Awal told the daily.

“Their DNA samples were collected for analysis by the chemistry department.” Childless couples paid up to $6,200 for the babies, depending on their race, while the birth mothers were paid as little as 700 ringgit but given free healthcare and accommodation during their pregnancy, it said.

The report said that among those detained were a doctor and the staff of his clinic, as well as a National Registration Department official who allegedly provided forged identity documents for the children.

—AFP