Coimbatore: Five persons, including four from Bihar were arrested on charges of selling a 15-day-old girl to a childless couple in Coimbatore district. Further investigations are on and the accused are being interrogated, police said.
The case surfaced after Childline probed complaints of an alleged child selling racket in the area.
According to police, Mahesh Kumar and Anjali, natives of Bihar ran a hotel in Appanayakkanpatti area next to Sulur in Coimbatore district. Childline received a complaint that the couple had sold an infant, who had been brought by their relative from Bihar to a farmer named Vijayan from Thimmanayakkan Palayam area.
The Childline probed into the matter and filed a complaint at the Karumathambatti All Women Police Station. Upon investigation, involvement of Mahesh Kumar and Anjali was confirmed and the two were arrested on June 3.
During investigation, it was revealed that Vijayan, who was childless for 17 years had approached many people in connection with adoption. She was acquainted to Anjali and Mahesh Kumar, who told that they have a 15-day-old baby girl in Bihar and would give it for Rs 2.5 lakh.
When she agreed to pay the amount, Anjali told her mother Poonam Devi in Bihar to convince a poor couple in Bihar to sell their 15-day-old daughter.
After which, Poonam Devi and her younger daughter Megh Kumari brought the infant from Bihar to Sulur and handed her to Anjali and Mahesh Kumar. Vijayan was arrested on June 4.
Anjali's mother Poonam Devi and her daughter Megha Kumari were called to Coimbatore for investigation. While interrogating them, it was confirmed that they had bought the child from a poor couple in Bihar and sold it in Coimbatore at Rs 2.5 lakh. Later, the two were arrested.
Five persons, including four from Bihar, have been arrested so far in this connection and investigations are on to ascertain whether any other children have been sold by them. The All Women Police Station of Karumathambatti is presently interrogating the accused.
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