CHANDIGARH: A two-day-old infant was allegedly sold by her mother in Ludhiana for Rs 2.10 lakh to a woman from Moga who had expressed a desire to adopt a child.
The Punjab Police busted the alleged child trafficking racket and arrested five people, including the mother and a BAMS doctor.
On February 13, a girl was born to Sunita Devi of Sherpur Kalan in Ludhiana at Arora Nursing Home near Baba Than Singh Chowk. She already had four children, all daughters. The birth of a fifth daughter reportedly left the family, including her husband, unhappy.
According to a police official, under family pressure, Sunita Devi decided to give away the newborn.
Manmeet Kaur, a BAMS doctor from Punjab Mata Nagar, was informed about the newborn girl who was allegedly being offered for sale. When Manmeet reportedly failed to find a prospective buyer, she contacted Ruchi, her neighbor at her maternal home in Mohalla Sant Kabir Nagar, who works as a caretaker. Ruchi then contacted Mandeep Kaur of Nangal village in Moga, who had previously expressed a desire to adopt a child and allegedly agreed to purchase the baby.
The deal was reportedly fixed at Rs 2.10 lakh, of which Rs 1.5 lakh was to go to the mother, Sunita Devi, and Rs 60,000 was to be distributed as commission. Mandeep allegedly agreed to the terms and traveled to Ludhiana to complete the transaction.
Police said that on February 15, the alleged buyers and sellers gathered at a park on Neela Jhanda Road to hand over the infant. However, onlookers grew suspicious after noticing the baby crying and unusual activity at the spot. They alerted the police. When police personnel arrived and began questioning those present, the alleged trafficking network was exposed.
Five accused have been arrested so far: Sunita Devi, the mother of the infant who originally hails from Gorakhpur; Mandeep Kaur, the prospective buyer; Manmeet Kaur, the BAMS doctor; Parveen; and Ruchi.
A police official added that the role of the doctor at the nursing home where the child was born is also under examination. If further involvement is established during the investigation, appropriate legal action will be taken.
Officials emphasized that legal adoption must be carried out only through authorized agencies and proper court procedures.