Stepmother kidnaps woman’s newborn, sell him for ₹1 lakh; arrested

Sharma was arrested and sent to judicial custody. During questioning, she revealed that she sold the infant to a woman named Jamna, in Hapur district, for ₹1 lakh, in June itself

A 55-year-old woman was arrested on charges of kidnapping her daughter’s one-month-old son in May this year and selling him for ₹1 lakh to another woman, police said on Tuesday, adding that baby and the woman who bought the baby are yet to be traced.

Senior officers said the woman was arrested by the Greater Noida police last week. However, six months on, police have not been able to locate the infant nor the woman who bought him. (Getty Images/representational image)

Senior officers said the woman was arrested by the Greater Noida police last week. However, six months on, police have not been able to locate the infant nor the woman who bought him, they said.

According to police, on May 10, 2023, 23-year-old Shivangi Mishra left her two sons, one aged five years and the other one month, with her stepmother Babita Sharma at their residence in Shaberi village in Greater Noida West.

“Ever since I gave birth, my stepmother was staying with me to look after the child and help me. On May 10, I had to go to Ghaziabad to get some official documents updated and I left my children under her custody. When I returned in the evening, only my elder son was home while Babita and my younger son were missing. When I asked around, neighbours told my that my stepmother left with the baby in the afternoon,” said Mishra, whose husband Islamuddin works as a hairdresser at a salon in Greater Noida West.

She submitted a complaint at the Bisrakh police station following which an FIR was registered against Sharma under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code, said officials.

“During investigation, it was found that Sharma had last called her husband before switching off the phone. Police teams were deployed to trace her and reached her residence in Hapur, where her husband, the complainant’s father, was also questioned. However, Mishra was not there,” said an officer from Bisrakh police station.

The child’s parents also tried to locate the suspect.

“The investigators told us to ask around among family members regarding the whereabouts of my stepmother. On November 29, we got to know through an acquaintance that Babita has reached her native village in Sambhal district. We told the police about this and reached the spot the next day,” said Mishra.

On November 30, police teams reached Mutaina village in Sambhal district and nabbed the 55-year-old woman.

“Sharma was arrested and sent to judicial custody. During questioning, she revealed that she sold the infant to a woman named Jamna, in Hapur district, for ₹1 lakh, in June itself. The contact number that she gave us for Jamna came as switched off but we have put the number under surveillance. Teams have been deployed to nab the woman who bought the child,” said Ramesh Pandey, assistant commissioner of police-2, Central Noida.

“We are also trying to trace the woman to whom Babita sold my child for ₹1 lakh. However, so far, we have been unsuccessful. My husband and I are devastated by the loss of our child and the betrayal of my stepmother. I do not understand how she could do this to me. I hope police can help get my child back,” said Mishra.