While the baby boy's mother has been arrested, his father is on the run. (Representative Image)
In a horrifying incident, a couple in West Bengal sold their eight-month-old baby boy to buy an iPhone 14 so they could create videos for Instagram reels, according to a report in Indian Express.
The outlet identified the couple as Jaydev Ghosh and Sathi, who live in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. They wanted to buy an expensive phone to shoot reels and settled on Apple's latest flagship. The Indian Express report further said that the couple also have a seven-year-old daughter.
The police rescued the infant from Priyanka Ghosh, a resident of Khardah in the same district. They have arrested the boy's mother and Ms Ghosh who paid money for him. The infant's father is on the run, and a search is on to nab him, according to the outlet.
During interrogation, the mother of the child admitted to the crime and said she and her husband wanted to use the money to take trips across the state so that they could create content for Instagram reels, Indian Express quoted a police officer as saying.
According to the authorities, the father allegedly also attempted to sell his daughter, but the plan did not materialise.
Speaking to India Today, their neighbour said the deal for the baby boy was struck in Rs 2 lakh. "They visited many places, like Digha Sea Beach, for their honeymoon with the money. They even bought a mobile phone," Laxmi Kundu, the neighbour, told the outlet.