HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’spolice have discovered an illegal surrogacy network.

The police arrested a Chinese citizen named CaiGuo Lin along with Hoang Thi Thu Trang from the Central Highlands province ofDak Lak, Trieu Thi Hang from the central province of Thanh Hoa and Nguyen ThiMai Anh from the northern province of Nam Dinh to investigate the crime ofoperating a surrogacy network for commercial purposes, according to the Article187 of the 2015 Criminal Code.

According to initial findings, in September2018, Cai went to Vietnam and met a Chinese doctor named Apo at Thien HoaClinic in Cau Giay district of Hanoi. Apo introduced Cai to Trang, the clinic’sinterpreter.

Cai is accused of hiring Trang to hunt forpotential surrogate mothers and promised to pay 5 million VND (215 USD) foreach successful deal.

Trang is alleged to have asked Hang, to find asurrogate mother. Hang introduced a woman named NTT to Cai, planning to bringher to Cambodia for the duration of the pregnancy.

Cai is said to have paid Hang 100 million VND (4,300USD) and Hang shared a half with the woman.

In November 2018, Mai Anh introduced Hang to sixother women willing to be surrogate mothers. On December 11, 2018, Cai, Hang,Trang and Mai Anh brought these surrogate mothers from Hanoi to Ho Chi MinhCity before departing to Cambodia.

When in HCM City, the whole group stayed over ata hotel in District 3. Worried of being trafficked, a woman among thesesurrogate mothers called her family, asking to report the case.

Thanks to the notification, the city policecaught all four suspects. The network is being further investigated.-VNA