CHENNAI: A two-day-old baby girl is now in the custody of a child welfare committee in Chennai after six people, including the child’s prospective adopters, a private hospital doctor and its administrator, were arrested by the Villivakkam police on Thursday on charges of arranging the illegal sale of the newborn.
With the baby’s father already behind bars in a different matter, police have issued her mother notice under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and allowed her to remain with the baby to breastfeed her during the investigation. The six arrested accused were being produced for remand.
Police said Pavithra (23) and her husband Ganesan (28), a history-sheeter, had entered into a verbal arrangement with an Andhra Pradesh couple, Selvarasi (30) and Gnanasekaran (35), when Pavithra was pregnant. The couple, who were trying to have a child for seven years, agreed to bear her pregnancy-related expenses and take custody of the child after its birth, the police added.
Hospital records about biological mother altered
Around Rs 9 lakh had reportedly been paid so far. The other accused are Dhanam (50), Pavithra’s neighbour; Aandal (45), a nurse at a private hospital; Visalakshmi (45), an administrator at the hospital; and Rajasekaran (45), the hospital’s doctor and managing director.
According to police, Pavithra, pregnant with her second child in December, sought financial help from Dhanam, who allegedly told her to give the baby to a childless couple in exchange for money. Dhanam introduced Pavithra to Aandal, who had contacts with people seeking IVF and surrogacy services.
On learning that Selvarasi and Gnanasekaran were looking for a surrogate mother, Aandal allegedly suggested that they instead take custody of Pavithra’s child. Pavithra delivered the baby at a private hospital in Villivakkam on Tuesday.
After the delivery, Visalakshmi, along with Rajasekaran, allegedly altered hospital records to show Selvarasi as the child’s biological mother.
Neighbours, who grew suspicious after noticing that the baby was not with Pavithra, alerted the authorities.
The police have invoked Sections 80 and 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Sections 93 and 61 of the BNS against the accused. Police said two more persons could be arrested.
