31 Abducted Infants from Yunnan Province Rescued

“Seventy-six suspects have been arrested for the kidnapping of 31 children who were rescued recently following a crackdown on human trafficking activities in southwest China’s Yunnan province, the Chongqing Morning Post reports.

Most of the children were kidnapped in Yunnan province and sold in other regions such as Shandong province in east China and Hebei province in north China, according to the Kunming Railway Police Bureau.

After obtaining some clues from the Kunming Railway Station last May, police conducted investigations around the province and arrested several suspects. When questioning them, police discovered that there was a notorious child trafficking group in Hebei Province.

Zhu Huiping, deputy director of the Kunming police station, led a group of nine police officers to Chengan township, Handan city, in Hebei Province where they arrested a main suspect nicknamed “Doctor Tian” in March. With the help of local police, the Kunming police also arrested more than 30 suspects in Hebei and Shandong provinces between April and May.

The child trafficking investigation group found that the main reason for human trafficking was the economic gap and that some residents in poor areas believed it was a way for them to make money.

In 2011, police across the country cracked 5,360 cases involving the abduction of women and 5,320 cases involving children. They also broke up 3,195 gangs and rescued 8,660 children and 15, 458 women, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Security.”

Police Rescue 31 Abducted Infants

[CRI English 6/1/12]

“The ring purchased the infants at a price of about 10,000 yuan (USD 1,582) each in Yunnan and sold them in Hebei and Shandong for 20,000 to 50,000 yuan, it said.

The ring is connected by well-organised members who abduct, purchase, transport and sell the infants for adoption Wang Ansi, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted police officials as saying.”

Chinese police bust child trafficking ring

[Business Standard 6/1/12]

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