Odisha: Drug Addict Father 'Compels' Wife To Sell 10-Day-Old Baby For Rs 10,000; Boy Rescued

"The father of the baby is a drug addict. Due to financial constraints, the father forced his wife to dump the baby in a dustbin," Childline director told reporters.

Representative Photo: Getty Images

Bhubaneswar: A 10-day-old boy was rescued by police in Odisha's Bhubaneswar after he was allegedly sold by his drug-addict father for Rs 10,000.

Members of a Non-Governmental Organisation Childline rescued him from a woman with the help of police.

"The father of the baby is a drug addict. Due to financial constraints, the father forced his wife to dump the baby in a dustbin. But, the mother handed over the child to a woman," Childline director Benudhar Senapati told reporters.

The baby was rescued from the woman and then kept at an adoption center, Senapati informed.

Meanwhile, the woman who was accused of purchasing the child said, "They were about to abandon the baby. Since I have no son, I bought the baby for Rs 10,000".

Senapati stated that both the buyer and seller of the baby are guilty under provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The police informed that a probe into the matter was underway and all the facts will become clear after the investigation is over.

"There are many inconsistencies in the versions of both the parties and only a proper investigation will unravel the truth," they said.

Illegal Adoptions Due To Covid-19

Recently, unlawful adoption of children especially with Covid orphaning kids has become a major cause of concern. People are seen sharing contact details to adopt such children which creates the risk of child trafficking. 

Previously, Union Cabinet Minister Women and Child Development Smriti Irani urged people to follow due process for adoption by contacting the police or Child Welfare Committee.

"We all must ensure legal adoption, otherwise children can be trafficked in the name of adoption," she had written. "Please do not share pictures and contact detail of vulnerable children in distress situations in social media. Their identity is to be protected as per law," she added.

 

(With Agency Inputs)