Wayanad: Wayanad police have initiated a probe after an attempt to sell a two-and-a-half-month-old baby to a couple in Thiruvananthapuram was busted by the cops and Child protection officials. Wayanad Child Protection Office rescued the baby with the support of Vythiri police and the Child Protection Unit in Thiruvananthapuram.
Born to an unwed mother near Vythiri, the baby was sold to a couple who had posed as childless from Thiruvananthapuram. When informed of the sale, the District Child Protection Office alerted their counterparts in Thiruvananthapuram and also communicated the matter to Vythiri police.
“We have collected details of the couple who had bought the child for Rs 10,000 and duly alerted the police and our units there. The couple had promised a huge sum for the mother once the sale of the baby was over,” the official said.
The couple had got information about police being involved. By the time the police team from Wayanad reached Thiruvananthapuram, the couple had ensured that the baby was returned to the mother. The woman had decided to sell off the baby as she was unable to keep the child due to protests from her relatives, police said.
Produced before the District Child Welfare Committee (CWC), here, the baby was handed over to an orphanage at Vythiri, which is a registered adoption centre. According to the Child Protection Office, here, they have informed the unwed mother and her mother about the legal formalities they have to follow to own the child. If they inform the CWC that they don’t need the child back, the child would be listed for adoption after medical examination and other procedures, it is learned.
The police have started an investigation into the background of the couple who allegedly purchased the baby from the unwed mother.
