There is a Hai Duong subject in the newborn trafficking ring in 32 provinces and cities.

Colonel Pham Dinh Ngoc - Head of the Criminal Police Department, Ho Chi Minh City Police said that so far, the methods and tricks related to the newborn trafficking case in 32 provinces and cities across the country that this unit has just dismantled have been clarified.

Tracing the trail to rescue trafficked babies

According to the Criminal Police Department, through the campaign to mobilize the entire population to actively participate in denouncing crimes and monitoring the situation on cyberspace, the unit discovered a number of people involved in adoption activities, but there were signs of buying and selling newborn babies.

The Director of Ho Chi Minh City Police Department directed the establishment of a special project to combat and assigned Major General Mai Hoang - Deputy Director as head of the committee; directed the Criminal Police Department, Tan Binh District Police and related units to investigate, clarify, strictly handle and especially, promptly "rescue" newborn babies who are victims of trafficking.

Using professional measures, the task force discovered that Nguyen Thi Anh Dao (34 years old, from Nghe An) was raising and keeping a 3-day-old male infant at a hotel in Ward 2, Tan Binh District. The police summoned her and through the investigation, Dao confessed to her related actions.

Specifically, Dao admitted to using deceitful means, complaining about infertility and needing to adopt a newborn. From there, Dao contacted and adopted a newborn from a mother named TTTN (from Dak Lak). But in reality, Dao was preparing to “sell” the child to a couple in Ho Chi Minh City, illegally profiting 40 million VND.

Expanding the investigation, the task force identified the subjects involved in organizing and operating the newborn trafficking ring in the form of giving and receiving children for adoption, including: Nguyen Thi Anh Dao, Hoang Thi Nhung (42 years old, from Dong Nai), Do Thi Thuy Ngan (30 years old, from Hanoi), Cao Thi Thu Phuong (41 years old, from Hai Duong).

Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency has prosecuted and temporarily detained 16 subjects for the crimes of "Trafficking in persons under 16 years old" and "Forgery of seals and documents of agencies and organizations".

Notably, the task force successfully rescued a 20-day-old baby boy that Vi Thi Anh (38 years old, from Son La) had just bought from other members of the ring.

Vi Thi Anh is awaiting the execution of two sentences with a total sentence of more than 12 years and 6 months in prison for the crime of “Illegal drug trafficking”. This person bought and adopted a newborn baby in order to postpone the execution of her prison sentence.

Sophisticated tricks in the sale of newborn babies

Colonel Pham Dinh Ngoc informed that this newborn trafficking ring operates on a large scale in 32 provinces and cities; with the participation and assistance of 6 brokers.

Initial investigations determined that from the beginning of 2024 until now, the above criminal ring has used closed groups on social networks to contact and connect with women who have just given birth in difficult circumstances and are unable to raise their children to buy 16 children (from 3 days to 3 months old).

They buy each child for 10-23 million VND, then resell it for 35-75 million VND, illegally profiting hundreds of millions of VND.

According to the investigation team, to legalize the sale of newborn babies under the form of adoption, the subjects colluded with a ring of counterfeiting seals and documents of agencies and organizations led by Phan Phuong Nam (34 years old, from Dong Nai). The group ordered fake birth certificates from Nam to legalize the adoption procedures and register the births of the children who were bought and sold.

During an urgent search of a location where documents and papers were being forged in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, the police discovered and seized 49 tools and equipment including: computers, printers, stamping machines, photocopiers, laminators, ink, various types of seals, various types of blanks... and thousands of types of counterfeit documents; including many fake birth certificates.

Following the traces of fake birth certificates, the task force established 9 working groups to verify 84 cases of newborns with signs of being bought and sold in 32 provinces and cities across the country. Thereby, the working groups promptly rescued a number of cases of newborns being bought and sold as mentioned above and coordinated with local authorities to protect and provide health care for the victims.