Infant sold for Rs 2.5 lakh by father in Odisha’s Bolangir, rescued in Chhattisgarh

An infant boy, who was allegedly sold for Rs 2.5 lakhs by his father in Titlagarh area in Bolangir district a week ago, was rescued on Saturday from Raigarh area in the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh.

As per reports, following the health check-up of the baby, he has been kept at a special childcare unit.

“As it has been alleged that the father of the child has sold the infant and the mother feigned her ignorance about the matter, we could not rely on them anymore. So, in the best interest of the baby, it has been decided that he will be kept at the specialized adoption agency,” said Laxmi Singh, Bolangir District Child Protection Officer.

Another middleman identified as Raja has also been arrested in connection with the alleged child sale.

Notably, the father of the baby boy - Santosh Patel and a middleman identified as Ramzan Seikh were arrested at Jhankarpada village in Bolangir district earlier last week.

Titlagarh Police is currently carrying out investigation into the incident and both the middlemen are being questioned in this regard.

Santosh and his wife Pushpa are poverty-stricken and they were reportedly unable to take the burden of another child. As a result, they were forced to sell the infant to one person through the middlemen.

After receiving information about the incident, Titlagarh Police registered a suo motu case and arrested Santosh and Sheikh in this connection. Both the accused were produced before the Court.

Further investigation into the case is currently underway.