Drug addict couple in Punjab's Mansa sells off their infant for Rs 1.8 lakh, arrested
CHANDIGARH: A drug-addict couple from Akbarpur Khudal village in Mansa district of Punjab allegedly sold off their six-month-old son to the scrap dealer in nearby Budhlada town for Rs 1.8 lakh.
They have also sold off their household belongings and used part of the money to buy drugs. Punjab Police has registered a case of child trafficking against four people, including the parents.
Three, including the biological parents, have been arrested, while one accused remains absconding.
The case came to light after the child’s maternal aunt approached the local police, seeking help to reunite the infant with his biological parents.
Sources said that the mother was a wrestler who got hooked on drugs after marriage, as her husband was a habitual user. The couple, who met on Instagram, now live in penury, with a makeshift kitchen set up on the floor of their house’s verandah.
They were unable to raise their child and decided to give him away through ‘godnama' (adoption deed) over a month ago, and allegedly took Rs 1.8 lakh to the scrap dealer, who already has three daughters, and showed interest in adopting the boy child.
He reportedly told them that he would take care of the child if they could not. This deal was revealed a few days ago when they realised their mistake and wanted to have their son back.
The couple used the money to buy drugs, a few household goods, and to reclaim their mortgaged motorcycle, said sources.
Sometime back, the police got the couple registered at the outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) at Bareta.
A villager said, "We requested them several times to mend their ways, but they did not listen.’’
Meanwhile, yesterday a large number of villagers in Budhlada subdivision turned up at the local police station and wanted the baby be returned back.
But the scrap dealer insisted that he had gone through the legal adoption process. ‘Godnama' is a legal transfer of a child from the biological parents to the adoptive parents, usually carried out among relatives, and confers the adoptive parents with all the rights and responsibilities that a natural parent would have.
Senior police officials confirmed that a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under child trafficking and related charges, and further investigations are underway to determine if the accused were linked to a wider trafficking network.
Senior Superintendent of Police of Mansa Bhagirath Singh Meena said that the police are thoroughly investigating and verifying the matter.
District Child Protection Officer Harjinder Kaur said that they have verified from reliable sources that the drug-addict couple handed over their child to a family in Budhlada about a month ago. "Both families even signed a Godnama," Kaur said.
She said, given the couple’s condition, the child could not be immediately returned to them due to safety concerns.
"The final decision on whether the child remains with the family that adopted him or is taken into our custody will be made by higher officials,’’ she added.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued a notice to the SSP of Mansa and asked him to recover the child, and hand him over to the Child Welfare Committee.
The Chairman of the Commission, Kanwardeep Singh, said that the police have been directed to take action against the couple and the family that received the child, and file a report by October 31.
Action has been taken under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
