Police are investigating whether an audio clip purportedly of a former nurse, who claimed to have 30 years of experience in "selling" newborns, is authentic.

The audio clip went viral on the social media, prompting Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Beela Rajesh to instruct the director of the Health and Rural Welfare department to look into the claim of the woman. In the audio clip, the woman, who took voluntary retirement 10 years ago, is purportedly heard saying she has been "selling" newborns for 30 years and by god's grace, never got into any trouble.

She also said newborn girls were "sold" for Rs 2.75 lakh and "if the babies are fair and good looking, they are sold for Rs 3 lakh". Newborn boys were "sold" for Rs 3 lakh and if they were beautiful, for Rs 3.75 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, she said in the clipping recorded by a "prospective client".

The woman also said in the clip that she even arranged for a birth certificate if an extra amount of Rs 70,000 was paid. Police suspect the involvement of a big gang. They also suspect that the woman in the audio clip is a former nurse who worked at a government hospital in Rasipuram and who was accused of being involved in "selling" of newborns in connivance with the hospital staff.