Desperate father sells newborn for Rs 1.7 lakh in Medak

Police rescued a one-month-old baby boy who was allegedly sold by his tribal parents for ₹1.7 lakh in Medak district due to financial distress. Authorities arrested the childless couple who bought the infant and the agents involved in the illegal deal.

Medak: A tribal couple sold their one-month-old son to a childless couple from Kamareddy district for Rs 1.7 lakh. The infant’s father Kethavath Mahesh, a resident of Lingasanipally Thanda in Havelighanpur mandal, was allegedly addicted to liquor and was in deep financial trouble, triggering the sale of the infant, police said.

After divorcing his first wife, Mahesh had married another woman Manjula a year ago. Manjula delivered a baby boy on February 10 at the Mother and Child Care Centre in Medak. Manjula, who used to visit the local Anganwadi centre every day to collect her share of eggs and other nutrition food, stopped visiting the centre a week ago. When an Anganwadi worker visited her house, she found the house locked from outside after which she reported the same to ICDS supervisor Vijayalakshmi.

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The police launched a hunt with the help of the ICDS staff and found Manjula and Mahesh in Chegunta on Monday. During inquiry, the couple confessed that they sold their son to Narsolla Raju and Swapna, a childless couple from Kancharla village in Bhiknoor mandal of Kamareddy, with the help of agents Kummari Nagaraju and his wife Swapna, residents of Havelighanpur mandal headquarters.

The police brought the baby back and handed him over to his mother on Tuesday. Later, the mother and baby were shifted to the Sakhi Centre in Medak. The police nabbed the couple who bought the infant and the agents as well.

Cases also have been registered against the parents. The police warned that they would initiate action if anyone was involved in such activities.