JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA - Police have uncovered a baby-for-sale racket with the arrest of 23 people including a Singaporean gynaecologist and senior registrar of the National Registration Department (NRD).

To date, police have also recovered four babies including three boys and a girl, in a series of raids at a private clinic and four homes in the city over the past few days.

The babies, aged seven months to a year old, have since been handed over to the state welfare department and will be sent to the Sultanah Aminah Hospital to have their DNA samples taken for analysis.

It is learnt that police have also arrested several nurses, agents who acted as middlemen in the transaction and the childless couples who bought the babies.

All the suspects, aged 20 to 60, have since been remanded to assist in investigations.

Sources said police were trying to establish the racket's activities including ascertaining the Singaporean doctor's role in the racket.

'As far as we know, he has a clinic in the city,' the sources said, adding that his wife, also a Singaporean, was detained to assist in investigations.

Johor CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Amer Awal attributed the success to information from the public, which led to the raids on the houses and clinic. Officers from the Johor police and Bukit Aman jointly conducted the raids.

'Police have also seized a computer and a laptop, several documents, mobile phones and RM4, 199 in cash,' SAC II Amer said, appealing for others with information on such activities to call the police hotline at 07-2212999