Hyderabad: Police uncovered a newborn baby sale racket in Medak district after a tribal couple allegedly sold their infant for Rs. 3 lakh because of financial hardship.
The newborn baby sale case surfaced after local Anganwadi staff noticed that the child born to the couple was missing after delivery.
Medak DSP Prasanna Kumar and CI Mahesh revealed details of the case on Wednesday at the town police station.
According to police, Shirisha and Devi Singh from Pothireddypalli Thanda in Kolcharam mandal recently had a child at the Medak Mother and Child Health Centre.
The couple already had three children and reportedly felt unable to support a fourth child because of financial difficulties.
Relatives later connected them with mediators, who contacted Bomma Kamalamma and Lingayya from Allinagar in Kowdipally mandal. The couple allegedly agreed to buy the infant because they did not have children.
Newborn baby sale probe leads to arrests
Police said the mediators finalised the deal near a tractor showroom close to the hospital on April 1. Authorities alleged that the buyers paid Rs. 3 lakh and took the infant away.
Later, an Anganwadi teacher noticed that the newborn was not with the mother after delivery. Consequently, officials informed supervisors and filed a police complaint.
During the investigation, police traced the infant and rescued the child. Officials said a woman identified as Sharada from Armur played a key role in the transaction.
Police also named several mediators and relatives involved in the case, including Sony, Dharmasoth Raju, Premila, Mahender and Bhaskar.
Newborn baby sale case exposes mediator network
DSP Prasanna Kumar said police registered cases against ten people and remanded nine accused to judicial custody. However, the infant’s father Devi Singh remains absconding.
Police seized six mobile phones and Rs. 38,000 in cash from the accused. Officials also warned of strict action against illegal child sale activities.
Investigators found that mediators allegedly retained most of the money paid in the transaction. According to police, the child’s parents reportedly received only Rs. 40,000.
Officials said Sharada allegedly collected Rs. 2.10 lakh from the deal. Police suspect the network targeted financially weak tribal families and lured them with money to facilitate infant sales.