9 detained, officials sacked over baby trafficking scandal

Police have detained nine suspects in connection with alleged trafficking of babies at a hospital in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the local government said on Friday.

The detained suspects include Zhang Shuxia, a doctor with the Fuping County Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, said the Fuping county government.

Meanwhile, three county government officials -- deputy head of the Fuping county government Li Leiping, Fuping Health Bureau chief Ji Xinmin and deputy chief Bian Cimei -- have been sacked over the baby trafficking scandal, the Fuping county government announced.

The hospital's president, Wang Li, and two other senior managers were also dismissed.

Three newborn babies have so far been rescued in the hospital scandal.

In the first case of a baby being rescued, Zhang allegedly obtained the infant by falsely claiming that the child had congenital diseases, convincing the mother to abandon treatment and allow the doctor to handle the baby.

The mother, surnamed Dong, later realized that her baby might have been abducted and reported the incident to police on July 20.

The baby was found in a township in Anyang City of neighboring Henan Province at around 3 a.m. on Sunday and was in good condition.

In the second case, two twin baby girls, who were born in early July to a woman surnamed Wang in Fuping County, were rescued from neighboring Shanxi Province and eastern Shandong Province respectively, the county government said on Thursday.

As of Friday, police have received reports of 55 similar cases from locals, including 26 cases in which Zhang was allegedly involved. Police have launched investigations into five of the reported cases.