District child protection officer (DCPO) Kasani Ganesh said that following reports of the baby’s sale, officials visited Babu’s house at Yellapuram Thanda and his rented house in Nalgonda, both of which were found locked.
Nalgonda: The shocking alleged sale of a 10-day-old girl came to light in Yellapuram Thanda of Tirumalagiri (Sagar) mandal in Nalgonda district on Tuesday.
The infant is the daughter of Korra Babu and Parvathi, natives of Yellapuram Thanda, who have been living in a rented house at BTS in Nalgonda town. The couple already has two daughters, aged six and eight. Parvathi delivered their third daughter about 10 days ago at a private hospital in Haliya. According to officials, one of Babu’s relatives acted as a mediator between him and a childless couple from East Godavari district. The exact amount exchanged is yet to be confirmed. Reportedly, a man said to be a teacher came to Haliya on October 25 and took the baby away.
District child protection officer (DCPO) Kasani Ganesh said that following reports of the baby’s sale, officials visited Babu’s house at Yellapuram Thanda and his rented house in Nalgonda, both of which were found locked. “We managed to contact Babu, who works as an auto driver, and produced him before the Child Welfare Committee. He confessed that his brother-in-law mediated between him and a teacher from East Godavari in the sale,” the DCPO said. “It is clear that money changed hands, though the amount is yet to be determined. The buyer does not belong to the same tribal community as Babu,” he added.
Babu reportedly told officials that he decided to give away his third daughter to the childless couple because he could not afford to raise her. “We are trying to contact the baby’s mother to record her statement. Efforts are underway to trace the child in East Godavari and bring her back to Nalgonda,” Ganesh said.
The DCPO further informed that the girl’s father was handed over to Nalgonda Town-I police, and a complaint has been lodged regarding the illegal adoption. Police have registered a case and are interrogating Babu to gather more details about the transaction.
According to sources in Yellapuram Thanda, Babu’s brother, who is childless, had requested to adopt the baby after learning of his brother’s intentions, but Babu refused. After the sale took place, the brother reportedly alerted local media, leading to the case being exposed.
It may be recalled that about three months ago, a similar case involving the illegal sale of 10 children was uncovered in Suryapet district. All the children were rescued and shifted to Sishu Gruha in Nalgonda.
