Woman sells 45-day-old son for ₹1.30 lakh in Kasganj, five held

A woman in Kasganj allegedly sold her 45-day-old baby to a childless couple from Hathras for ₹1

A woman in Kasganj allegedly sold her 45-day-old baby to a childless couple from Hathras for ₹1.30 lakh, with a doctor couple in Kasganj acting as brokers. The alleged deal came to light following a complaint by the child’s father. All five accused, including the mother, the doctor couple and the couple who allegedly bought the baby, have been arrested.

All five accused, including the mother, the doctor couple and the couple who allegedly bought the baby, have been arrested. (FOR REPRESENTATION)

Kasganj superintendent of police (SP) OP Singh said that the case occurred in a village under Soron police station limits in Kasganj district. The complainant, the child’s father, Arvind, works at a factory in Haryana’s Faridabad. He told police that his wife called him on Saturday and said she had gone to Kasganj to get medicines when she needed to use a toilet. She left their 45-day-old son with a woman at the bus stand, but the woman disappeared by the time she returned, he alleged.

The child’s father, Arvind, lodged a complaint with police and travelled from Faridabad to Kasganj. The child’s father, Arvind, lodged a complaint with police and travelled from Faridabad to Kasganj. During his inquiry, he allegedly learnt that his wife, Kranti, had sold their son to a couple from Hathras for ₹1.30 lakh through Dr Arun and his wife, who run a practice in Soron town, police said.

SP Singh said a case was registered at Soron police station under Sections 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) and 143 (human trafficking), along with Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice Act, against Dr Arun and his wife, the complainant’s wife Kranti, and the childless couple who allegedly purchased the baby.

Teams from Soron police station, the surveillance unit and the Special Operations Group (SOG) jointly searched for the child, who was recovered on Sunday. All five accused were arrested, Kasganj SP OP Singh said. The couple who allegedly purchased the baby were identified as Mahipal and his wife, residents of the Sikandra Rao area in Hathras district, he added.

During questioning, police found that Kranti, the mother of the 45-day-old baby, had received ₹1.30 lakh through Dr Arun, who acted as a mediator. Of the amount, ₹1.20 lakh was deposited into her bank account, from which she withdrew ₹20,000, while the remaining ₹10,000 received in cash had already been spent, police said.

Dr Arun and his wife told police that they had taken ₹2 lakh from the childless couple from Hathras, paid ₹1.30 lakh to the baby’s mother and retained the remaining ₹70,000. Of the amount retained, they had already spent ₹10,000, police said.

Police froze ₹1.20 lakh in the mother’s bank account and recovered ₹20,000 in cash from her and ₹60,000 from the doctor couple accused of brokering the deal. Officials are also verifying the couple’s medical qualifications. Dr Arun and his wife practised in Soron town of Kasganj and allegedly brokered the sale of the 45-day-old baby in collusion with his mother.

SP Singh said on Sunday that police cracked the case within 24 hours of receiving a complaint from the child’s father. A reward of ₹25,000 was announced for the police team, he added.