Unwanted babies in great demand
Talegoan: Preet Mandir, an adoption agency that puts up babies for sale, also runs Sai Baba Seva Dham, a short stay home for unwed mothers, run by the owner of Preet Mandir, J S Bhasin, and two hours from Pune.
CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team found it's an all expense paid affair. Pregnant women stay here, deliver their baby, give up the baby and move on - ensuring a steady supply of babies at the adoption center.
Born out of wedlock, offsprings of an illegitimate relationship. Social workers attached to adoption agencies look out for such babies.
Pregnant women are sought after, kept in a home, taken to a hospital for childbirth and the newborn taken away in exchange for a small payment.
Says the Chairperson of CWC Aurangabad, Dr Wankhede, "The medical expenses of unwed mothers are paid by these agencies."
A child of an unwed mother costs the owner of Preet Mandir, J S Bhasin, under Rs 2,000.
The mother of the baby, of course, never finds out what Preet Mandir will earn from selling the baby to foreigners.
"You see the rate of the dollar is dropping, so we charge $12,000 for every baby," says Bhasin.
Most of the pregnant women who are admitted to the Sai Baba Seva Dham are sent to the Talegaon General Hospital to give birth.
Though there were no pregnant women from the home admitted to the Talegaon General Hospital when the CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team reached there, they did find damning evidence of Preet Mandir's activities.
The trust that the nurse at Talegaon General Hospital is talking about is Preet Mandir. This was confirmed to CNN-IBN by a doctor from the hospital.
Doctor: These women come here. Most of them are unmarried, pregnant women brought here for delivery. I heard they are adopted by some people."
CNN-IBN: "Who bears the expenses?"
Doctor: "The trust."
For JS Bhasin's Preet Mandir, having a home for unwed mothers is quite like an in-house baby factory - pay off the grateful mothers and put the babies up for sale at the adoption shop.
(With inputs from Rohit Khanna)