Kalaburagi: Yet another case of a poverty-stricken Lambani woman selling her female baby at Konchavaram area in Chincholi has come to light. The police have arrested five people, including an ASHA worker, who abetted the sale of one-and-a-half month old baby at Chandu Naik Thanda for Rs 15,000 to a Hyderabad based couple. Those arrested include Ansuya and Ramachandra Rathod, parents of the baby, Sharada and T. Pal, Hyderabad couple who bought the child, and Suvarna Jamadar, ASHA worker.
Lambanis live in poverty and the practice of abandoning, killing or selling their female babies is common.
Middlemen, often posing as social workers or well wishers, buy the babies and hand them to adoption centres. There are around 100 Tandas in the Konchavaram forest area. According to sources, Ansuya and her husband decided to sell their baby, which was born on January 9, due to poverty. They allegedly approached an ASHA worker for adoption. She in turn approached the childless couple at Hyderabad and struck the deal for Rs 15,000. The matter is said to have come to light after the couple failed to take their baby to the Primary Health Centre at Konchavaram for imminisation.
When the couple gave contradictory replies during visit to their house, the staff reported the matter to the District Child Protection officer and the Child Welfare Committee, who alerted the police. The baby has been handed over to the government shishu vihar here.
