A shocking incident has come to light in Telangana's Medak district, where a couple allegedly sold their one-month-old baby for Rs 1.5 lakh due to financial hardships, officials said.
According to police, the child's father, Kethavath Mahesh, was addicted to alcohol and frequently spent money on liquor, pushing the family into financial distress. Unable to manage expenses, he and his wife, Manjula, decided to sell their newborn son.
Manjula delivered the baby on February 10 at the government Mother and Child Care Centre in Medak. A few weeks later, the couple allegedly approached mediators Kummari Nagaraju and Swapna to arrange the deal.
The baby was reportedly sold to a childless couple for around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 1.7 lakh, police said.
The buyers were identified as Narasolla Raju and Rajitha, residents of Kancherla village.
The incident came to light after Anganwadi workers noticed that Manjula had stopped coming to collect nutrition supplies meant for the newborn. When workers visited the house and found it locked, they alerted Integrated Child Development Services officials and the police.
Police later traced the couple near Chegunta and questioned them. During interrogation, the parents admitted that the baby had been sold through mediators.
"The father was addicted to liquor and the family was facing financial problems. During questioning, the parents admitted that they sold their newborn through mediators to a childless couple," said Prasanna Kumar.
He added that the baby's parents, the intermediaries and the couple who purchased the child were detained.
The infant was recovered safely and handed over to his mother.
Both the mother and baby were later shifted to the Sakhi Centre in Medak for care and counselling.
