New Delhi: “Dr Viveki is known for his unwavering commitment to patient care, working day and night to ensure every individual receives the treatment they deserve,” reads a section giving information about the Delhi hospital that is allegedly at the centre of an inter-state child trafficking network.
Turns out, the profile was a facade.
In reality, Viveki is a woman nursing professional, with no MBBS or MD degree, who posed as the owner and MD of Hira’s Multispeciality Hospital. The 47-year-old, according to the Delhi Police, is the mastermind of the recently busted child trafficking racket whose network was spread across north India.
Childless couples visiting the private hospital at Begumpur, Rohini to seek IVF treatment were often lured by her, and many of them did not refuse. Babies, the police said, were trafficked from villages in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
On 14 June, Viveki was arrested after her alleged role in the racket came to light. Eleven more people, who allegedly operated as traffickers, mediators, and buyers to facilitate the purchase and sale of infants, are also behind bars.
So far, the racket is suspected to have been involved in the trafficking of nearly 30 infants over a period of roughly two years.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said Viveki allegedly played a crucial role in facilitating the illegal trafficking operation by keeping trafficked infants at her hospital and identifying prospective buyers among the childless couples approaching for infertility-related treatment.
“Investigation revealed that fabricated medical and supporting documents, including hospital records, delivery-related documents, birth-related records and other supporting papers, were arranged to falsely establish parentage and facilitate the illegal transfer of infants,” the DCP said.
Singh debunked the hospital website’s claim that Viveki was “an experienced MBBS physician with over 7 years of clinical excellence.” “She assists gynecologists and has a BSc in Nursing, MSc in Critical Care, and a Doctorate in Obstetrics and Gynaecology,” the DCP said.
A police source said that the alleged kingpin used the ‘Dr’ prefix as she was a nursing professional with a doctorate degree. “She could only oversee simple deliveries, not Cesarean. …This was done as she had created an illusion. She comes under the RMP (registered medical practitioner) category and was registered with the Delhi Medical Council,” said the source.
The facade
The Hira’s Multispeciality Hospital, its website claims, is a “patient-focused healthcare facility” dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable, and compassionate medical care. It claims to be trusted by families seeking reliable treatment across a wide range of specialties.
The interactive website features foreigners on its pages.
The hospital provides services like normal and cesarean deliveries, OPD consultations, day care treatments, general medicine, among others, according to the website. “In addition to our core specialization in Anaesthesiology, we also offer advanced care in Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Gastroenterology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, and Pediatrics,” it says.
The website further claims that the hospital has treated more than 1,000 patients, so far.
The DCP said the Delhi Medical Council will be informed regarding all these information regarding the hospital.
ThePrint reached the hospital via phone for a comment. This article will be updated as and when a response is received.
Plot & players
As for the modus operandi, the above-mentioned police source gave the example of Rima Pal, whom Viveki allegedly told her to pose as an expectant mother.
The hospital staff admitted Rima for three days, to make it look like a genuine delivery. There were multiple inflated bills, amounting to Rs 1,20,000, in her name. “They told the couple this was a front, to make it appear a genuine case. Since birth certificates have to be prepared, they had to show that Rima did give birth at the hospital. This happened with many other couples,” the source said.
The forged documents were prepared and signed by Viveki. Once the registration was confirmed, a childless couple could claim the trafficked infant as theirs.
The hospital, according to the police, served to fill the gap between when an infant was purchased and when it was sold. The trafficked babies were kept there till ‘deals’ were done. Most of the infants were 4-5 days old and 3-4 months old, the police said.
“Viveki created forged documents, trafficked children—all under the garb of a registered hospital,” said the source.
Pratibha, one of the accused, was identified as a key player by the police. She has a Masters in MRIT (Medical Radiology and Imaging Technology). Working as a freelance lab technician, Pratibha’s role in Heera Multi Speciality Hospital was of an active facilitator in the trafficking of infants, the police said.
The 34-year-old had been arrested in a trafficking case previously, they added.
Another police source told ThePrint that Pratibha visited multiple hospitals where she scouted for desperate childless couples willing to shell out exorbitant money to get a baby. She then got in touch with another racket member Kalia, who would get infants from Pali, Rajasthan at “a lower rate” to be “sold” in Delhi, the police source said.
Fabricated records and supporting documents were allegedly arranged to falsely establish legal parentage and to facilitate the transfer of infants. The children were then sold for substantial prices, the police said, adding that a girl child was procured for Rs 1 lakh and a boy for Rs 2 lakh.
So far, the police have arrested two couples each from Madhya Pradesh and Haryana who bought the trafficked infants. “The two then got in touch with the remaining accused through common contacts. It was driven by mutual trust. The hospital owner (Viveki) was roped in as well,” the third police source said.
The money among all the racket members was divided according to the work, the officer said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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