This Article is From Jul 11, 2018

Jharkhand Adoption Centres, Shelters Will Be Probed Amid "Baby Sale" Row

The Director General of Police (DGP) has asked the home department to get the charity's funding looked into by the CBI

All their records will be verified and corrective measures will be taken, Raghubar Das said.

Ranchi:

Amid reports of child trafficking from the Ranchi branch of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, or MoC, in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Raghubar Das has directed the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to investigate all such centres and shelter homes by August 15.

There are about 50 adoption and shelter homes, of which 12 are run by Missionaries of Charity, including two in Ranchi. All their records will be verified and corrective measures will be taken, Mr Das said.

A nun and an employee of Nirmal Hriday, run by the Missionaries of Charity, who were arrested last week for allegedly selling infants for adoption, have confessed, police said. The cops have also come across four instances at the shelter home where infants were sold for about Rs 1.2 lakh each, but say there could be more.

"If this was a lucrative trade, there is reason to believe other centres operated by MoC or other shelter homes also may be indulging in such activities," senior police officer RK Mallick said. He expected more cases to come to light in the near future.

The Director General of Police (DGP) has asked the home department to get their funding looked into by the Central Bureau of Investigation to establish whether the foreign donations received by the MoC were used for the cause or diverted for some other purpose. The police suspect violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, which regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution, by the charity.

According to the Jharkhand government records, the Missionaries of Charity and its five associate organisations have received over Rs 927 crore in the last 11 years in foreign donations. As per central government rules, any donation which is above Rs 1 crore should be investigated by the CBI.

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