Odisha, Oct 29: An Odisha woman was Wednesday detained by the police after she allegedly sold her nine-day-old girl for Rs 15,000 to a childless couple in Sambalpur district.
The woman, in her late thirties, is a contract labourer who has been out of work since the lockdown, her father told The Indian Express She already had five children and her husband, had left her a few months ago, he added.
Officials from the district child helpline raided the house of the couple who bought the child. “They told us they had adopted the child. They claimed to have all the legal documents. But none of the parties involved could furnish any document. We then approached the police,” Child Helpline Officer, Sanjay Sagar told The Indian Express.
The baby is now in the care of the District Child Welfare Committee. The police have booked and detained the woman and the couple.