Newborn sold in Kendrapara rescued in Cuttack

Kendrapara: Acting on a tip off, the Kendrapara Town police along with Child Welfare Committee (CWC) officials rescued a new born girl allegedly sold by an ASHA worker and a staff of a private nursing home in the district.

According to sources, the Town police along with CWC officials after conducting a search rescued the missing newborn girl child from Cuttack Sishu Bhawan, where she was undergoing treatment.

Upon interrogation, the person who adopted the child said he had given money and signed papers before adopting the new born. As her health condition was not good, she has been admitted to the Sishu Bhawan, said the legal guardian.

Earlier today, a couple of Righagarh village under Rajnagar police limits in Kendrapara district lodged a complaint with the Town police against an ASHA worker and staff of a nursing home accusing them of selling its baby.

As per the complainant, the ASHA worker first took pregnant woman Gitanjali Maharana to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) when she suffered labour pain. Later, she shifted Gitanjali to a private nursing home named Surya Nursing Home by saying that the DHH would not provide proper treatment.

“My wife delivered a girl child at the nursing home on August 1 night. On the next morning, the ASHA worker asked us to pay Rs 7,500 for the delivery. When we expressed our inability to pay the amount, the hospital authorities forced us to give the money. Later, they sold our baby to a family,” said Nirakar Maharana, Gitanjali’s husband.

Nirakar further said the family, including a couple and an elderly woman, gave us Rs 1,500 for medicine expense and fruits and left with the baby.