The CID on Monday arrested Sashmita Ghosh, the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) of Jalpaiguri, in connection with the child trafficking and illegal adoption racket. She will be produced at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Jalpaiguri on Tuesday.
CID sleuths had been interrogating her for the past few days. On Monday evening, after a round of interrogation, she was arrested.
CID sources said they found evidence of gross negligence in discharge of duty, withholding important information and misuse of power against Ghosh.
17 children were allegedly sold from the three homes – Bimala Sishu Griho, Ashroy Short Stay Home and North Bengal People's Development Committee – owned by accused Chandana Chakraborty, between 2014 and 2015.
Despite being the DCPO, Ghosh allegedly had no information about it or withheld it from the administration.
In case of any child being brought to the home, the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) along with the DCPO would have to sign certain documents. The CID recovered documents which Ghosh had signed alone, while keeping the CWC members in the dark. She did not visit the homes, thereby failing to keep track of the children.
Incidentally, Ghosh was suspended by the district administration on Saturday as she had failed to provide satisfactory answers to the show-cause. The administration also recommended that she be terminated from her post.
Ghosh's husband Mrinal, the DCPO of Darjeeling had been arrested by the CID on March 4, along with one Dr Debasish Chanda, CWC member of Darjeeling.
CID sleuths on Monday also raided Mrinal Ghosh's house in College Para, Siliguri, and recovered incriminating documents.
When the CWC found anomalies and mounted pressure demanding the whereabouts of the 17 children, the homes furnished names and addresses of the biological parents of the babies.
They even prepared restoration orders of the children, by which the children would be reunited with their biological parents.
CID found that all these papers and details were fake and allegedly conjured by Mrinal Ghosh and Dr Chanda.
With the trafficking and adoption racket out in the open and the three homes shut down, CID sleuths are searching for the 17 kids whom the home authorities claimed were reunited with their biological parents.
The CID also recovered incriminating documents from the homes, on the basis of which the arrested have been charged for child trafficking and selling babies to France, US, Singapore and Spain.
The arrested include Chandana Chakraborty, BJP leader Juhee Chowdhury, Mrinal Ghosh, Debasish Chanda, Chandana's brother Manas Bhowmik and Sonali Mondal, chief adoption officer.
Juhee's father Rabindranath is still at large and CID has launched a manhunt for him.