Spanish Police Bust Fake Paternity Ring in Melilla Border Scheme

According to information provided by the police, these pregnant women wait for their delivery period to go to Melilla. Once in the Spanish enclave, they request the service of certain Spaniards. They accept the paternity of the newborn, in exchange for 3,000 euros, to register it in the civil registry as a Spanish child, reports the newspaper La Razon.

Through this agreement, the man (the Spaniard) poses as the biological parent of the woman’s (Moroccan) child. He completes the administrative formalities in order to provide the latter and her baby with the official documents allowing them to have the same rights as Spanish-born citizens and to live legally in Spain.

According to the same source, the comparison of the DNA of a baby with that of his fictional father has revealed that the latter has several children from different mothers. The Spanish police had opened an investigation that led to the arrest of 40 people involved in this network. In total, 36 newborns are illegally registered in the civil registry. The accused were taken into custody pending the end of the investigation to determine possible ramifications with other individuals.