NALGONDA: The alleged sale of a 10-day-old girl to a childless couple in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, came to light on Monday, triggering public outrage.
A tribal couple from Ellapuram thanda in Tirumalagiri Sagar mandal, who have been residing in the BTS area of Nalgonda for several years, allegedly sold the infant to the Andhra couple for Rs 3 lakh on Saturday through a middleman identified as Kondaiah from Guntur.
The husband works as an auto driver and also helps a mutton shop owner on Sundays to support his family.
The woman gave birth to her third daughter 10 days ago, and the couple, already struggling financially, allegedly decided to sell the newborn.
A video that went viral on social media showed the couple’s two elder daughters crying inconsolably and pleading with their mother not to give away their baby sister.
District Child Protection Officer N Ganesh said the baby’s father denied selling the child, claiming instead that they had only given her in “adoption” to their childless relatives, citing their inability to raise her as the reason.
Based on a complaint from the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) officials, the Nalgonda One Town police registered a case under Sections 143 and 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act, and have initiated an investigation.
The infant’s father is currently in police custody. Police and ICDS officials have left for Eluru to bring the baby girl back to Nalgonda.