The city police on Thursday booked a couple from Payyanakkal who allegedly tried to hand over their 11-day-old newborn to another family, violating the rules and regulations of legal adoption.
Though the couple claimed that they made the attempt as a short-term arrangement for ensuring better care for their child, the police did not buy the argument and registered a case.
The police took into custody the mother along with the infant and produced them before the Child Welfare Committee for further action. On completion of the preliminary inquiry, the infant was temporarily moved to the Government Children’s Home at Vellimadukunnu. An inquiry was also launched against the family that tried to get the child. Police officials, who came to know about the illegal adoption attempt through anonymous sources, said they were yet to confirm any move on the part of the couple to sell the newborn. “The mother, during the interrogation, has confessed that she was forced to hand over the kid to another family by her husband as he was in huge debt and unable to look after the children in the family,” they said.
