Babies are a steal in steel city

Jajati Karan / CNN-IBN

Unscrupulous adoption agencies continue thrive and literally sell children abroad for thousand of dollars.

Rourkela (Orissa): The adoption racket is now a nationwide phenomenon — from cities to remote villages there is big money to be made.

CNN-IBN's Special Investigation Team travelled to Rourkela, Orissa's steel city, to find out how the steel city has become a den for child trafficking.

Tribal children brought from in and around Sundergarh district are sold in the name of adoption at illegal adoption centres which have mushroomed in the city over the past few years.

What's even more shocking is the fact that the adoption agencies are run by highly placed government officials.

There are six adoption agencies in Rourkela and all of them are illegal.

CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team reporters posed as couples and approached one such fraudulent adoption centre called Global Village to adopt a girl child.

This is what Global Village employee, Arun Kumar Nayak, told CNN-IBN: "We will not create any problems for you and we will not overcharge you either."

CNN-IBN: "You will quote an affordable price? So the committee decides the price?"

Arun Kumar Nayak: "Yes the committee decides the price. In the last ten years we have given away 90 children. At that time the law on adoption was not this tough."

Nayak claimed the promoter of Global Village was K P Sethy, an IAS officer and the former secretary of Central Adoption Resource Agency.

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik has helped the agency in the past, Nayak claimed.

CNN-IBN: "Does Mr Sethy run only one orphanage?"

Arun Kumar Nayak: "Yes."

CNN-IBN: "So why does he stay in Delhi?"

Arun Kumar Nayak: "Actually he is a Government employee; that's why he stays in Delhi."

CNN-IBN: "He's in the service? Is he an IAS officer?"

Arun Kumar Nayak: "Yes he is. Sethyji is our advisor. He comes here from time to time and oversees everything. He knows the whole process."