4 held for selling 8-month-old girl for ₹5 lakh in Virar

Four persons – Gurwari alias Manju Sonjit Mandal and her husband Sonjit Mandal, Anita Vinoba Bhave and Dr Jiten Bala have been arrested by the Virar police for allegedly selling an eight-month-old infant girl for purportedly ₹5 lakh on Tuesday evening

Four persons – Gurwari alias Manju Sonjit Mandal and her husband Sonjit Mandal, Anita Vinoba Bhave and Dr Jiten Bala have been arrested by the Virar police for allegedly selling an eight-month-old infant girl for purportedly ₹5 lakh on Tuesday evening. When produced before the Vasai court on Wednesday, the quartet has been remanded in police custody till February 16.

The couple revealed that they were there to sell the child to a couple for ₹5 lakh. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

“The couple had arrived with the infant at a sugarcane juice stall near the MSRTC stand in Virar (East) in a bid to sell the child. A police constable found their movement suspicious and when he questioned them, they gave flimsy answers. The couple later revealed that they were there to sell the child to a couple for ₹5 lakh,” said Suresh Warade, senior inspector, Virar police station.

“Later, we arrested the other two accused and all four were charged under section 370(1) (knowingly or having reason to believe that a minor for engaging in sexual exploitation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015. They were remanded in police custody till February 16,” Warade added.

The infant was taken to a government child care centre.