The scale of the Namakkal racket is unprecedented, though the region is not new to sale of newborns.
In December 2014, a Village Health Nurse attached to a Primary Health Centre at Anchetty village near Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri district was arrested for sourcing "unwanted" newborns from the backward area for a broker, who, in turn, passed them on to families in areas around Thiruvananthapuram.
The nurse, Alphonsa, had come in contact with a Hosur-based man through his wife, who was employed as a staff nurse at a private hospital in Hosur.
All three were arrested. But, prima facie , the police were unable to establish a case of commercial transaction of Rasipuram proportions. But, a "consideration" of Rs.10,000 and Rs.20,000 was given to the two impoverished mothers.
Police traced three illegal baby transfers through Alphonsa – all girl children – to places near Thiruvananthapuram. Two babies were given to two families in Elakhnam.
The third baby was given to a family in Kodakhanur. The mothers of the first two already had daughters and did not want another girl child. The third child was conceived as a result of rape.
When the babies were traced and brought back, the three biological mothers did not acknowledge their babies, while the foster families refused to part with them.
While two of the babies were handed over to the government's adoption system, the third girl's adoption was legalised.
In Ariyalur back in 2017, an inter-departmental team carried out a covert operation on instructions from the then District Collector, Lakshmi Priya, and unearthed a racket involving sale of children to wealthy childless couples.
The Meensuriti police registered a case against 11 persons on charges of illegal sale of a child to a businessman in Coimbatore.
A Narikurava couple, parents of the child, were among the accused. They had allegedly sold their baby for Rs.50,000 through a middleman from Cuddalore district. The child was later rescued and reunited with the parents.
“It was not an isolated case. A few other Narikurava parents had sold their babies for money. They were brainwashed by middlemen that the babies would have good education and health. But, we could not proceed further as the parents were not ready to cooperate with us,” an officer, who was part of the operation team, told The Hindu .
(With inputs from C. Jaishankar in Tiruchi)
Published - May 19, 2019 12:16 am IST
