Krishnagiri: The primary health centre nurse at Anchetty, Alphonsa, admitted to having brokered the sale of a girl baby delivered by a 23-year-old woman near Anchetty for Rs 30,000 to a childless couple."Yes, I arranged for the sale of the baby for Rs 30,000. I did it only to save the baby," the nurse told DC in a recorded interview.
A DC investigation has unravelled a baby selling racket in Anchetty where the government nurse has brokered the sale of the third daughter born to Salethammal (23), near Anchetty.
Under government rules, a couple who does not wish to bring up their girl child should be encouraged by the government nurses to drop the newborn in the government cradle baby scheme. But nurse Alphonsa came up with a strange explanation for not encouraging Salethammal to put the baby in the government cradle kept at the govenrment hospital.
“If the child is dropped at the cradles, they will be taken up for adoption by some strangers. But here Salethammal knew who the adoptive parents were. I arranged for the sale only to save the baby," she justified."Salethammal wanted to drop the baby in the government cradle. But I discouraged her," she admitted in the recorded interview.
The nurse insisted that there was nothing illegal about giving away babies for adoption. "Unwanted babies can be given in adoption directly without leaving them in the cradle baby centre because the centre does not inform the parents of the place where their infant goes," Alphonsa told DC.
Unaware of Alphonsa’s foul play, Salethammal, wife of a farm labourer and mother of three girl babies, accepted to give her barely four-day-old third daughter to a couple introduced by Alphonsa. The nurse said she had received Rs 30,000 from the childless couple who had bought the baby. But Salethammal was given Rs 20,000. Obviously, the nurse had taken home a commission of Rs10,000.
However, Alphonsa refused to reveal the identity of the childless couple who bought the baby. "They are from Hosur," is all that she would say.
Government nurse, parents booked for selling baby to couple
The government nurse, Alphonsa, who had brokered the sale of a girl baby for Rs 30,000 to a childless couple, has been booked by police. In a swift action following an alert given by DC, the Krishnagiri collector directed the village administrative officer of Anchetty to lodge a police complaint against the nurse and the parents who had sold their child.
