Pakistan 'child smugglers' arrested

The children ranged from 15 days to six months old

Eight people have been arrested in the Pakistan city of Karachi for involvement in an alleged child smuggling racket, according to the police.

They intended to transport the children to Malta where they sell them for $20,000 each

Police officer Suhail Faiz

The arrests follow the discovery of 11 children in a house in a suburb of the city, ranging in age from 15 days to six months old.

The police say those involved - amongst them four women - planned to smuggle the children to Malta for sale to childless couples for £20,000 each.

Police say they recovered 13 passports from those arrested, including three issued in the name of minors.

Hospital abductions

The four women arrested worked as nurses or midwives in various hospitals in Karachi.

The police say the children were abducted from the hospitals, and may include babies who were not claimed by their parents.

The children are now in an orphanage

Deputy police inspector general Fayyaz Leghari named the alleged leader of the smuggling gang as Dennis Chance.

He said he had dual Pakistani and Maltese nationality.

His Maltese wife was among those arrested.

The police said he had been operating for some time.

He was originally arrested in 1998, but later released on bail pending trial.

The police are looking into how he was able to start the smuggling racket again.

The children have been handed over to the Edhi Foundation, a charity which runs orphanages and children's homes in Pakistan.

Police are trying to track down their parents.