District officials rescued two babies that were sold by a couple of Attur to two persons for a total sum of Rs 15,000 here on Tuesday. Later both the newborns were handed over to a private children’s home in Danishpet.
Sources said that Malar gave birth to a twin, a boy and a girl, at Attur government hospital a few days ago. As the children were born out of an illicit relationship with Suresh, the woman decided to sell the babies and sought the help of an employee of the Attur Government Hospital.
Malar, of Ammampalayam in Attur, has a sixteen-year-old daughter from her first marriage, and two daughters and a son from the relationship with Suresh.
Recently, the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) received a tip-off that Malar and Suresh had sold their babies that were born on September 17. The DCPO, along with Attur police, interrogated Malar and found that she had sold the baby boy to one Periyasamy, a lorry driver from Krishnapuram in Gengavalli taluk, for Rs 10,000 and the girl to one Kalaiselvi, of Attur Samathuvapuram, for Rs 5,000.
Based on the information, the officials, accompanied by the anti-human trafficking unit of the police, went to Periasamy’s house on Tuesday but could not find the infant there. Investigations revealed that Periyasamy had sent the baby to his relative’s place in Thuraiyur. The team rushed to Thuraiyur and rescued the baby. Similarly, the girl child was rescued from Kalaiselvi.
On Wednesday, after the babies were brought before the District Child Welfare Committee, they were placed under the care of a home at Bethel in Danishpet.
According to A Xavier, chairman of the committee, “The infants will be kept in the home for six months and if the mother expresses willingness to take them back, they will be handed over to her or given for legal adoption.”