E-Paper
Kushinagar man forced to ‘sell’ son to pay hospital fee; 5 arrested
Officials said that following the complaint of Harsh Patel, the father of the three-year-old boy, police also arrested a ‘bogus’ doctor identified as Tara Kushwaha, nurse Sumanti Devi and a middleman.
Five people had been arrested for allegedly forcing a man to sell his three-year-old son to secure his wife and newborn child’s release from a private hospital after he was unable to pay its fee, officials said. The incident took place in a village in Kushinagar district.
Among the arrested were Bhola Yadav and his wife Kalawati, the couple who took the child, superintendent of police (SP) Santosh Mishra said, adding a constable who allegedly helped the Bihar couple prepare fraudulent adoption papers had been sent to police lines.
Officials said that following the complaint of Harsh Patel, the father of the three-year-old boy, police also arrested a ‘bogus’ doctor identified as Tara Kushwaha, nurse Sumanti Devi and a middleman.
The incident took place on Saturday evening in a village under Barva Patti police station of Kushinagar district and police were informed of the incident through the ‘112’ helpline. Swinging into action police rescued the child and returned him to his parents.
Patel had sought medical care at the hospital on Friday for his wife’s delivery, police said. However, when he was unable to immediately pay the hospital fee of ₹4,000 the next day, the mother and the newborn were not allowed to leave the hospital. In his desperation, the father agreed to give his three-year-old son under a fraudulent adoption deed in return for a few thousand rupees on Friday, the police said.
Sensing his desperation, Patel was approached by a middle man who convinced him to give his son to the Bihar couple in exchange for ₹20,000.
The child was safely rescued and returned to his parents, officials added. Abdur Rahman
