Mumbai police have busted a child selling racket that was involved in selling babies across the country.

The story, as per a Times of India report, unravelled after the Wadala truck terminal police nabbed Julia Fernandes last month. Julia had bought a week-old boy from his parents Munna Shaikh and Shazia for Rs 20,000. However, she was nabbed just before she could sell the infant further for around Rs 1.5 lakh.

"The baby was sent to a childcare centre. The juvenile justice board has named him Adhiraj. His father, Shaikh, has been arrested. He told the police he was debt-ridden and wanted to repay a loan of Rs 1 lakh," a police officer was quoted saying in the report.

As per the police, the woman was buying infants from poor families and selling them to rich buyers. She had earlier sold infants to a doctor couple in Thane and a Bengaluru-based software engineer for Rs 4 lakh and Rs 4.5 lakh respectively. She also sold an infant to a Worli-based doctor for an undisclosed but a lower rate, as she knew the doctor.

According to reports, the police department is conducting a nation-wide search to find other victims after discovering photos of over 50 children. Though there is a long list of couples wanting to adopt children in the country, several factors such as procedural hurdles and long waiting lists have made the adoption process extremely complicated.