ONGOLE: In a disturbing revelation, a case of child trafficking involving a newborn baby girl has come to light at Ongole Government General Hospital (GGH-RIMS). The incident came to public attention after the Ongole police intervention on Tuesday following a complaint by the baby’s parents.
In response, Battula Padmavathi, a member of the Andhra Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APCPCR), expressed outrage over the incident. On Wednesday, she issued notices to the District Medical and Health Department, Women and Child Welfare Department, and police officials, demanding a detailed report on the case.
“This is a shocking and inhuman incident where newborns are being sold like commodities. It is deeply concerning that Ongole GGH has become a hub for such illegal activities,” Padmavathi told TNIE. “The APCPCR has taken suo-motu cognizance of the case and will ensure such practices are eradicated. We have ordered the concerned departments to submit an immediate report on the matter.”
According to police, a mother from Pallamalli village in Chimakurthy mandal gave birth to her fifth child, a baby girl, at Ongole-RIMS around 15 days ago. Coming from a financially struggling family with four daughters, the parents saw the newborn as an additional burden. When the baby girl fell ill two weeks ago, the parents took her to the hospital for treatment.
During this time, a woman from Podili town approached the couple and instigated them to sell their baby for Rs 2 lakh. Tempted by the offer, the parents agreed, and the child was taken to Karlapalem village in Bapatla district and handed over to a childless couple who ran a small tiffin centre. Later, this woman collected Rs 2 lakh from the Karlapalem couple but did not transfer the amount to the baby’s parents. Instead, she returned later to the Karlapalem and extorted an additional Rs 50,000 from the couple, claiming it was a demand from the child’s biological parents. She then gave this smaller sum to the parents and informed them that they would not receive anything further.
Realising they had been deceived, the parents lodged a complaint with Ongole DSP Rayapati Srinivasa Rao, who immediately deployed a police team to Karlapalem. The police recovered the baby girl and returned her to the biological mother. The preliminary probe revealed that the Karlapalem couple, desperate for a child, had contacted the accused months earlier, requesting help in adopting a baby. The accused had facilitated the sale of another baby girl for Rs 2 lakh in a prior instance. However, the couple returned the baby upon discovering she had a serious heart condition and reclaimed their money.
Further investigation revealed that the Podili woman was a key player in multiple child trafficking cases, including selling a newborn from Ponnaluru to another couple at Ongole-GGH. Police registered a case and further investigation is underway.