A 9-month-old male child, who was allegedly sold to a Tiruchi-based couple for ₹5 lakh by his parents, was retrieved and restored to the couple on Tuesday following an investigation taken up by the ChildLine in Pudukottai on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off a team of ChildLine volunteers, led by M. Kulanthaivelu, Director, Childline Sub Centre, Tirumayam, visited Periyakalluvayal in Thulayanur panchayat and conducted enquiries with various residents, sources said. Based on information provided by a villager, the volunteers conducted an enquiry with Kadappan,55, and his wife Selvi, 50. Though they refused to cooperate, the couple later told them that a Tiruchi-based Muslim couple “adopted” their son. Soon after the enquiry, the couple escaped from the village.
However, with the ChildLine team pursuing the case vigorously, Kadappan produced the boy before the the team in Pudukottai. As per standard procedure, the boy was produced before the Child Welfare Committee along with his parents.
The members of the Committee, after enquiries with Kadappan and his wife, directed them to appear, along with their son, before the Committee every month. The Committee also referred the case to All Women Police in Tirumayam for further action.
Mr. Kulanthaivelu told The Hindu that Selvi delivered the boy at the Government Hospital in Tirumayam on April 4, 2019. He was the fourth child to the couple. He was brought up in Tiruchi since then. Mr. Kulanthaivelu said that there was no reliable information on those who brokered the sale of the boy.
