The Mansa district police in Punjab on Saturday arrested an unemployed, drug-addicted couple and a scrap dealer for allegedly trafficking the couple’s six-month-old son due to financial hardship.
Bareta Station House Officer Baldev Singh told HT that the child’s biological parents, Sandeep Singh and Gurman Kaur, along with Sanju Singh, who allegedly purchased the infant last month, have been booked under Section 143 (4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for human trafficking.
The infant was rescued and placed in Sri Anant Anath Ashram, a state-approved orphanage in Nathana village, Bathinda, by the Mansa child protection authorities.
Why did the parents sell their child?
“Sanju’s wife, Aarti, has also been named in the case and is yet to be arrested. The investigation is ongoing to determine if others were involved,” the SHO added.
The case was registered following a complaint by Gurman’s elder sister, Ritu Verma, of Bool village in Ludhiana.
The couple, residents of Akbarpur Khudal village, allegedly could not raise their child due to their drug addiction.
Infant sold to scrap dealer for 1.8 lakh
They gave their six-month-old son to the scrap dealer’s family in Budhlada town for ₹1.8 lakh, according to the police.
The scrap dealer, who has four daughters but wanted a male child, and the couple even signed a document described as an “adoption deed”.
Locals said the couple spent the money on drugs and household items. Gurman, who got addicted to drugs after her marriage, was previously a wrestler.
During media interactions on Friday, Sandeep and Gurman admitted to their drug addiction that led them to sell their only child. The complainant accused Sanju and Aarti of exploiting her sister’s poor financial condition and coercing them into giving up their baby.
Opposition accuses CM of ignoring drug menace
The Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa of the Congress, has accused CM Bhagwant Mann of ignoring the drug menace.
Bajwa said the sale of the child by the drug-addicted couple underscores the horrifying depth of the crisis.
He noted that the mother, once a state-level wrestler, along with her husband, sold their baby to fund their addiction, “leaving an indelible stain on the state’s history”.
Notice issued to SSP for recovery of infant
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the case, Punjab Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman Kanwardeep Singh issued a notice to the Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP), directing the recovery of the infant and his handover to the child welfare committee.
The commission also instructed the SSP to take action against the couple and the family that received the child, and to submit a report by October 31.
Deputy superintendent of police (Budhlada) Sikander Singh Cheema confirmed that the child has been handed over to the child welfare committee. Bareta police station house officer Baldev Singh added that a case has been registered against the couple and the family that received the infant.
