Police in southwestern China discovered 28 baby girls hidden in suitcases on a long-distance bus and apparently destined to be sold, police and a state-run newspaper said.
One of the babies had died by the time police, acting on a tip-off, found them Tuesday night on the bus at a highway toll gate in Bingyang, Guangxi province, the Beijing Morning News said.
Police at the Bingyang police station confirmed the case and told AFP more than 20 suspects had been arrested.
"The babies are fine. More than 20 people have been arrested," one police officer said, refusing to comment further.
Another officer said the youngest babies were only a few days old. "They had been on the bus for four or five hours before they were found," he said.
The oldest baby was no more than three months old, the newspaper reported.
Some of the infants were two or three to a suitcase. The nylon suitcases were stacked on the luggage rack, the back row of seats and along the sides of the bus.
The babies appeared to have been drugged to keep them from crying and being found.
Police officers recounted their disbelief when they found one baby after another on the bus.
"After I found three to four infants, I felt shocked," one officer told the newspaper.
Police said they did not know where the babies came from and where they were headed. The bus was travelling from Yulin city in the poverty-stricken Guangxi province to central China's similarly poor Anhui province.
The 27 surviving babies were in stable condition. The cheeks of some of them had turned purplish as temperatures had dropped on the bus during the night.
The infants are being kept at the Minorities Weisheng School in nearby Nanlin district, one of the police officers told AFP.
"Nurses are taking care of them. The local government has set aside money to care for the infants. Local residents are taking milk powder to the school for the babies," he said.
Most of the infants were a few months old and some had been kept in large leather bags near the passengers, he said.
Those who were arrested included passengers on the bus, the officer said.
"Most of the people arrested were middle-aged women from Bingyang. They probably wanted to make some money. They might have been headed for Guangdong," he said.
Police are seeking other suspects. "They haven't arrested all of them yet," he said.
So far no one had claimed the infants.
Want to learn more?
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030322/1/399ul.html
One of the babies had died by the time police, acting on a tip-off, found them Tuesday night on the bus at a highway toll gate in Bingyang, Guangxi province, the Beijing Morning News said.
Police at the Bingyang police station confirmed the case and told AFP more than 20 suspects had been arrested.
"The babies are fine. More than 20 people have been arrested," one police officer said, refusing to comment further.
Another officer said the youngest babies were only a few days old. "They had been on the bus for four or five hours before they were found," he said.
The oldest baby was no more than three months old, the newspaper reported.
Some of the infants were two or three to a suitcase. The nylon suitcases were stacked on the luggage rack, the back row of seats and along the sides of the bus.
The babies appeared to have been drugged to keep them from crying and being found.
Police officers recounted their disbelief when they found one baby after another on the bus.
"After I found three to four infants, I felt shocked," one officer told the newspaper.
Police said they did not know where the babies came from and where they were headed. The bus was travelling from Yulin city in the poverty-stricken Guangxi province to central China's similarly poor Anhui province.
The 27 surviving babies were in stable condition. The cheeks of some of them had turned purplish as temperatures had dropped on the bus during the night.
The infants are being kept at the Minorities Weisheng School in nearby Nanlin district, one of the police officers told AFP.
"Nurses are taking care of them. The local government has set aside money to care for the infants. Local residents are taking milk powder to the school for the babies," he said.
Most of the infants were a few months old and some had been kept in large leather bags near the passengers, he said.
Those who were arrested included passengers on the bus, the officer said.
"Most of the people arrested were middle-aged women from Bingyang. They probably wanted to make some money. They might have been headed for Guangdong," he said.
Police are seeking other suspects. "They haven't arrested all of them yet," he said.
So far no one had claimed the infants.
Want to learn more?
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030322/1/399ul.html