Unable to dedicate time, young couple ‘sells’ baby

Bengaluru: Unable to find time for their new-born, a young well-to-do couple here ‘sold’ their 53-day-old boy to a couple in Mysuru.

But days later, unable to bear the guilt, the young mother rushed to the police seeking their help in tracing the baby.

The lady is 35 and an assistant professor while her husband is an engineer in a private firm.

The pathetic story spoke of the ill-effects of the breakdown of the joint family system.

After hectic efforts, the police traced the infant to a Mysuru couple on Thursday and handed him over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) here. The biological parents and the man who was the broker were charged with selling the baby.

Sources said the couple had no one to take care of the child. They employed domestic help who used to absent themselves without notice. This affected the work schedule of the busy couple.

Finally, the couple decided to give away the child to someone in need. They came across a man who assured them he would solve their problem. The couple insisted that the couple who adopt the kid should be childless, educated and financially stable.

The baby was handed over on December 13 and the new parents said they would take good care of the child but the couple shouldn’t seek their whereabouts.

After returning home, the mother began to suffer from depression and guilt pangs. The couple contacted the man who struck the deal, but he said was not aware of the child’s whereabouts.

Early this week, the biological mother approached the police and filed a complaint. Admitting that she had committed a mistake, she requested cops to trace her child.

“The professional couple couldn’t devote enough time to the child. It appears there was no money involved. We have booked the couple and Shiv under sections 80 (any person or organisation offers/gives/receives child without following adoption procedures), 81 (any person who sells/buys child) and 87 (abetment) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. We are probing all angles,” a police officer was quoted in ToI.

“The mother keeps changing her statement. All those involved will have to appear before the CWC,” the officer added.