No fewer than 11 people, including two doctors, have been arrested in Ghana for their alleged roles in a “baby-harvesting” and child-trafficking syndicate.
Authorities busted the syndicate after a tip-off from a taxi driver in 2020 and several months of investigation.
During the investigation, members of the syndicate allegedly sold two babies to investigators for $5,000 and $4,800 each.
The investigations were jointly led by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council and the Economic and Organised Crime Office.
After conclusion, 11 suspects including two doctors, four nurses, two mothers, two social welfare officers, and a traditional birth attendant were arrested.
They were allegedly operating at health facilities in the Accra, Ghana’s capital and the neighbouring city of Tema.
Authorities believe some of the mothers may have been told their babies had died after delivery, adding that others who were unable to take care of their newborns may have been encouraged to sell them.
The two rescued baby boys are now in the care of the authorities.
Operation of baby factories is rampant in Ghana’s neighbouring country, Nigeria, where several baby harvesters have been arrested.
In December 2020, Police in Nigeria rescued 10 people, including four children, four pregnant women and two other women from an illegal maternity home. The operation was carried out at the so-called “baby factory” in the Mowe area of the southwestern Ogun state.