New DelhiDelhi Police with arrested members of the syndicate. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)Officers investigating an interstate infant trafficking syndicate said on Friday that that the apparent “kingpin” of the group, shortly after his arrest, received a video message in which a couple was seen offering “for sale” a newborn baby.Delhi Police officials, who on Thursday announced the arrest of 13 people over the past fortnight, said are now on the lookout for “agents” from Gujarat who scouted vulnerable families, officers said.At least two officers probing the case confirmed the development on Friday, two days after 25-year-old Saybabhai Ghamar alias Kalia was arrested from his home town Sabarkantha in Gujarat. Upon questioning, Ghamar told police that the agent was from Gujarat and the deal was scheduled to be done in a day or two.“His disclosures prompted the investigating team to identify and arrest the agent and the couple, who, according to Ghamar, were the infant’s biological parents, willing to sell their baby for money. A team will soon go to Gujarat to arrest them,” said one of the officers, asking not to be named.The officers said they are also on the lookout for another agent from Gujarat, a Sikh man who was only referred to as “Sardar Jee”, a key player in the syndicate, as revealed by Ghamar, as well as Pratibha, a 34-year-old lab technician who allegedly coordinated among sellers, agents and buyers in Delhi. She was arrested from her Goyla Vihar residence on June 7.“Ghamar disclosed that he first met Pratibha in Gujarat through Sardar Jee three years ago, when he transported infants with their families for delivery on his behest. She used to procure infants through the man. Ghamar told us the man used to give him ₹5,000 for each deal. When he learnt the man earned ₹50,000 to ₹60,000 per deal, Ghamar decided to arrange and sell infants himself for better profits. He contacted Pratibha and offered to deal directly with her, which she accepted,” the second officer, requesting anonymity, said.On Thursday, the Delhi Police announced the arrest of 13 members of a suspected interstate child trafficking syndicate and the rescue of five infants. Among those arrested was another key member, Dr Viveki, who allegedly kept the infants at her hospital in Delhi and helped arrange forged certificates.Special commissioner of police (law and order) Devesh Chandra Srivastava said that the syndicate mostly targeted tribal families living in remote areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and sold the babies to childless couples in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. “Four of the five babies were rescued from three childless couples in Haryana’s Panipat and Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior,” Srivastava said.Investigators said the sale and purchase of infants mostly happened through “word of mouth”. They said key suppliers, like Pratibha, visited in vitro fertilization (IVF) centres in their home towns, befriended childless couples visiting the clinics for treatment and offered them babies. The agents also visited anganwaris and maternity hospitals to find sellers.“Names of many agents have emerged during the interrogation of the arrested people. We are trying to locate and arrest them. The investigating team will soon take Ghamar to Gujarat to help locate the biological parents of the five rescued infants,” the second officer said.