Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar baby sale case: Infant sold for Rs 1.2 lakh, resold thrice; 7 arrested

A one-month-old baby was allegedly sold by his parents for Rs 1.2 lakh in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and subsequently passed through several hands before being recovered from Hyderabad, police said on Wednesday.

Seven people, including the child’s parents, have been arrested in connection with the alleged inter-state child trafficking case. Police said the parents, who are labourers in a live-in relationship, allegedly spent part of the money on mobile phones and gold jewellery. The items have been seized as part of the investigation.

The case came to light after the baby’s mother approached police. According to investigators, the child, born on July 5, was handed over to Seema Reshwal for Rs 1.2 lakh. Reshwal allegedly sold him to Sangeeta Avhad for Rs 2.7 lakh, after which Avhad took the infant to Nanded and allegedly handed him to Suresh Guntuka for Rs 3.5 lakh. Guntuka subsequently transferred the baby to his relative Uma Khatkam in Hyderabad for the same amount.

Police said the infant changed hands multiple times within about 48 hours, with the transaction value increasing at each stage. The child was eventually brought back to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and produced before the Child Welfare Committee. He has since been placed at an authorised child-care institution for protection and rehabilitation.

Police are investigating whether the accused have links to a wider inter-state child trafficking network. So far, investigators have said they have not found evidence connecting the arrested persons to similar cases.

Police have said all seven accused are in custody while investigators continue to establish the full chain of transactions and determine whether any wider trafficking network was involved.

with inputs from PTI