Kolkata: even as the infant trafficking case takes gruesome turns with the arrest two more doctors, most admits that lack of medical facility and illiteracy lies at the very heart of the racket.

Tapan Kumar Biswas, who hold no medical degrees is believed to be the kingpin of this racket and is believed to have trafficked over 100 newborns all over India and even abroad has used the lack of medical facility, illiteracy and age-old customs to lure unwed mothers and poverty stricken couples to unknowingly part with their own flesh and blood.

“At a time when India is trying to become a cashless society, the truth lies that millions do not have basic medical facilities and hundreds of children and mothers die of malnutrition and unhygienic delivery,” said Sambit Ghosh, a sociologist who has been tacking this case.

At Bora in North 24 Paraganas district where Biswas used to stay there are 46 medical centers and as per government rule it is to cater to 5000 people in the nearby villages. However, in truth, it is badly equipped and understaffed, with no doctors in attendance.

“The lack of basic medical facility actually helps people like Biswas who do not even have a degree to become a head doctor of a nursing home and cheat people on such issues of life and death,” said Ghosh.

Even the state government has realised that in spite of their efforts the last mile gap is far from being covered and such dubious organisations have taken its place and are cheating illiterate and innocent people.

“Biswas had a very clever business model. In the hinterland often unprotected sex is the only entertainment young people have and it is not uncommon for them to try to get rid of the child at any cost. He used to bring those women at his facility and keep them till birth of the child for free. Post delivery, they used to give the woman few thousand rupees and asked her to leave,” said an investigation officer.

State health officials are now planning to start a campaign trying to warm couples and unwed mothers from such institutions. “Such campaigns will have little effect as an unwed mother has no place in the society even now. Hence the stigma is so huge that unless there is an effective abortion method nursing homes run by the likes of Biswas will continue to flourish,” said Runa De, who runs a non-governmental organisation in North 24 parganas. “Since several NGO are also accused, it gives all of us a bad name and we really do not know what to do,” she added.

“We are all busy trying to politics and not keen to solve the real problems. Our elected leaders wants the country to grow leaps and bound which is not possible if the lowest denominators of the society is not taken care of,” said Silvya Gomes, who runs educates women on issues of pregnancy and other health related matters.