Poverty has forced a few women in Andhra Pradesh to sell their babies. In two cases reported in Eluru and Mangalagiri in the past three or four days, the women gave statements that their family members sold the babies unable to care for them.
“Earlier, we have seen cases of issueless couples resorting to illegal adoptions and purchasing babies. But now infants are put up for sale in the market by some gangs in the State. This is pathetic,” a child protection officer said.
A three-day-old baby boy was exchanged hands with ₹1 lakh accruing to the biological parents at a private hospital in Aswaraopet, a village on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border. A Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) was at the centre of the racket. The baby’s father, Ganta Arun Kumar, and grandmother Ganta Mary reportedly sold the newborn to the RMP for ₹2 lakh. The baby was then sold to a Visakhapatnam couple for ₹3 lakh. The infant was eventually sold to an Anakapalli couple for ₹5 lakh.
RMP’s role
District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Eluru, Ch. Surya Chakraveni said the mother of the baby Ganta Chilakamma of Chintalapudi stated that the RMP Bujji Babu had convinced her to get admitted to the Seshamma Nursing Home for delivery, from where the baby was taken.
“The RMP brokered the deal through the ayah Prasanthi and hospital worker Srinivas. The hospital management took ₹28,000 as fee for the delivery. No birth certificate and bills were given to the mother,” the DCPO said. The Aswaraopet police have registered a suo motu case in this matter on Wednesday.
Apart from the RMP Bujji Babu, his wife Suvarna, ayah Prasanthi, hospital staff Srinivas and mediator Rani were allegedly involved in the racket.
Meanwhile, a labourer, Medabalimi Manoj of Mangalagiri in Guntur district, sold his third daughter (two months-old) to one Megavath Gayatri of Nalgonda district in Telangana for ₹70,000, said Deputy Superintendent of Police J. Rambabu. Gayatri reportedly sold the baby to Bhukya Nandu of Lambada Devala Thanda in Nalgonda district for ₹1.20 lakh. Nandu sold the baby girl to Sheikh Noorjahan of Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, for ₹1.87 lakh. He in turn gave away the baby to Bommada Umadevi of Narayanaguda, Hyderabad. Again the infant was sold to Padala Sravani of Vijayawada for ₹2 lakh. Sravani sold the baby to Garikamukku Vijaya Lakshmi, a native of Gollapudi in Vijayawada for ₹2.20 lakh.
In the final deal, Vijaya Lakshmi sold the baby to Varre Ramesh of Eluru for ₹2.50 lakh. Police have arrested 11 persons in the case.
“The baby was shifted to Nalgonda, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Eluru. The price went up at every transaction,” an investigation officer stated.
Another baby girl, aged two months, was sold for ₹60,000 in Eluru two months ago. On a tip-off, Women Development and Child Welfare (WD&CW) officials rescued the baby and shifted her to Sishu Gruha, Eluru.
Probe ordered
In another case, a woman called Swathi of Denduluru mandal has alleged that a couple from Tuni, previously in East Godavari district, purchased her daughter for ₹1 lakh. The Collector has ordered an enquiry into the issue.
The Bhimavaram police have registered a case when a newborn baby boy was sold for ₹30,000 by a couple from Hyderabad. Neighbours who heard the baby crying alerted the WD&CW and the police, Eluru DCPO Ch. Surya Chakraveni said.
“Infant sale cases were reported in Tiruvuru, Mudinepalli, A. Konduru, Kalidindi and other places in Krishna district earlier,” said former Krishna DCPO Ch. Vijay Kumar.
Info to mediators
Andhra Pradesh State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) governing body member P. Francis Thambi said ayahs, sweepers, baby caretakers and security guards in hospitals as well as RMPs and domestic helpers played key roles in the ‘infant sale’ racket.
“The ayahs and caretakers will enquire about the financial condition of the family. After convincing the parents for sale, they will alert the mediators, who will pass the information on to racketeers,” Mr. Francis said.
Former member of the Andhra Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (APSCPCR) V. Gandhi Babu appealed to the government to appoint a body responsible to prevent such incidents with immediate effect.
Bhadradri Kothagudem Collector D. Anudeep said an enquiry had been ordered into the alleged ‘sale of infant’ from the private hospital in Aswaraopet.
HC’s order
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh High Court took suo motu notice of the two ‘infant sale’ cases that occurred in Mangalagiri and Aswaraopet and directed the officials to submit details of the cases by Thursday.
