Reputed Madurai NGO ‘sells’ two children, director arrested

Destitute mothers sought refuge at a home run by Idayam Trust in Madurai in the hopes that they and their children would be safe. But little did they know that the director and staff of the home for elderly, women and children would “sell” their kids to childless couples without their knowledge.

In a classic case of the fence eating the crop, the NGO’s director and his personal staff have been arrested for “selling” a boy and a girl, who are children of two inmates. The reason given by the NGO’s director on being asked about the whereabouts of the one-year-old boy by an activist led to unearthing of the illegal child racket.

What came as a shock for many was that the trust, now in the dock, enjoyed the reputation of being a safe abode for destitute mothers and the elderly, and had been recognised by the Tamil Nadu government for its “services” to the society more than once.

The director, Sivakumar, and his aide Madarsha were arrested from the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border on Saturday evening, after being on the run for days together. The same day, authorities also rescued three children of a mother, said to be mentally challenged, who were given in adoption to different families illegally.

With the incident sending shockwaves across the state, the Madurai District Administration has swung into action by inspecting all such homes in the district, closing illegal ones, and shifting inmates to government facilities from homes that are cramped and lack basic amenities.

“We have formed special teams at the taluk level consisting of officials from revenue and social welfare departments and the Child Welfare Committee to inspect homes that are functioning in the district and check whether they have required permission. The teams also check their records,” Dr S Aneesh Sekhar, Madurai District Collector, told DH.

The illegal racket came to light after the mother of the one-year-old child told an activist who rescued her that she has been informed that her son died of Covid-19. Not convinced, the activist, Azharuddin, dug deeper and found that Sivakumar had forged documents to show that the child died of Covid-19 but “sold” him to a rich childless couple in lieu of money.

An inquiry led not just the recovery of the boy but also a two-year-old girl child of another inmate of the NGO. An activist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said homes that enjoy “good name” among the people indulging in such activities is “unfortunate” and asked the government to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

“This man was a hero for many, but what has happened? He went against the trust imposed by the people. And one should remember that this NGO received a couple of state government awards in the recent past. Good work on one side should not serve as a passport for committing wrong on the other side,” he said.

The district collector said the incident has underlined the need for strict monitoring of homes as the director of the NGO in question enjoyed good personal reputation. “We have to strengthen intelligence gathering. The latest incident has created some awareness on the issue, and we intend to take forward from here. We will keep a close watch on homes that house destitute women and elderly,” Sekhar added.