Punjab: Drug addict couple held for selling their 6-month-old child; infant recovered

Chandigarh: A couple, allegedly addicted to drugs, sold their six-month-old son to a scrap dealer in Punjab's Mansa district, police said on Saturday.

The case came to light after the child's maternal aunt approached the police, an official said.

The police have recovered the child and booked both the families under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The officer also said the couple has been arrested.

The couple, residents of Akbarpur Khudal village, was allegedly addicted to drugs and was unable to raise the child. Subsequently, they gave the six-month-old to the family of the scrap dealer in Budhlada town for Rs 1.80 lakh, according to the police.

The scrap dealer has four daughters. The families even signed a document, which they called an "adoption deed" for the child.

Locals claimed that the couple allegedly spent the money on buying drugs, and household items. The child's mother, who got addicted to drugs after her marriage, was a wrestler, locals said.

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports about the incident, Punjab Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairman Kanwardeep Singh issued a notice to the Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to recover the infant and hand him over to the child welfare committee.

The commission also directed the SSP to take action against the couple and the family which received the child, and submit a report by October 31.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Budhlada) Sikander Singh Cheema said the child has been handed over to the child welfare committee.

Station House Officer, Bareta, Baldev Singh said a case has been registered under BNS Section 143 (human trafficking) against the couple and the family which received the child.