Poverty-hit mothers sell infants in Andhra Pradesh

Child protection officers cite role of some gangs in the racket  

Poverty has forced a few women in Andhra Pradesh to sell their babies. In two cases reported in Eluru and Mangalagiri in the past three or four days, the women gave statements that their family members sold the babies unable to care for them.

“Earlier, we have seen cases of issueless couples resorting to illegal adoptions and purchasing babies. But now infants are put up for sale in the market by some gangs in the State. This is pathetic,” a child protection officer said.

A three-day-old baby boy was exchanged hands with ₹1 lakh accruing to the biological parents at a private hospital in Aswaraopet, a village on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border. A Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) was at the centre of the racket. The baby’s father, Ganta Arun Kumar, and grandmother Ganta Mary reportedly sold the newborn to the RMP for ₹2 lakh. The baby was then sold to a Visakhapatnam couple for ₹3 lakh. The infant was eventually sold to an Anakapalli couple for ₹5 lakh.

District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Eluru, Ch. Surya Chakraveni said the mother of the baby Ganta Chilakamma of Chintalapudi stated that the RMP Bujji Babu had convinced her to get admitted to the Seshamma Nursing Home for delivery, from where the baby was taken.

“The RMP brokered the deal through the ayah Prasanthi and hospital worker Srinivas. The hospital management took ₹28,000 as fee for the delivery. No birth certificate and bills were given to the mother,” the DCPO said. The Aswaraopet police have registered a suo motu case in this matter on Wednesday.

Apart from the RMP Bujji Babu, his wife Suvarna, ayah Prasanthi, hospital staff Srinivas and mediator Rani were allegedly involved in the racket.

Meanwhile, a labourer, Medabalimi Manoj of Mangalagiri in Guntur district, sold his third daughter (two months-old) to one Megavath Gayatri of Nalgonda district in Telangana for ₹70,000, said Deputy Superintendent of Police J. Rambabu. Gayatri reportedly sold the baby to Bhukya Nandu of Lambada Devala Thanda in Nalgonda district for ₹1.20 lakh. Nandu sold the baby girl to Sheikh Noorjahan of Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, for ₹1.87 lakh. He in turn gave away the baby to Bommada Umadevi of Narayanaguda, Hyderabad. Again the infant was sold to Padala Sravani of Vijayawada for ₹2 lakh. Sravani sold the baby to Garikamukku Vijaya Lakshmi, a native of Gollapudi in Vijayawada for ₹2.20 lakh.