The third child who was allegedly ‘sold’ by the shelter home was rescued by the police from Simdega Wednesday and was returned to his adoptive parents the following day. (Photo: Reuters)
Sister Consalia, a nun of ‘Nirmal Hriday’, a shelter home in Ranchi, confessed on Saturday about selling three children for money and giving away the fourth child. Senior Superintendent of Police (Ranchi) Anis Gupta informed PTI that Sister Konsalia, during the course of interrogation, ‘confessed’ that she had sold the three children to three different people. However, the senior police officer did not comment upon the price at which the child was allegedly sold.
Moreover, the three children have been rescued by the authorities while the search for the fourth child is still on. The shelter home is administered by the Missionaries of Charity, which was founded by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa. Last week, a woman staff, Anima Indwar, and Sister Consalia were arrested for allegedly selling children born in the centre. The duo have been sent to four-day police remand by the chief judicial magistrate. Indwar was arrested on July 4.
#WATCH: A nun of Missionaries of Charity says,” I have sold two more babies. I don’t know where they are now.” She is one of the two nuns who was arrested by Ranchi police on charges of child trafficking on July 9. Police say ‘3 out of 4 children have been recovered.’ #Jharkhand pic.twitter.com/V9DO2pQrbW
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2018
The third child who was allegedly ‘sold’ by the shelter home was rescued by the police from Simdega Wednesday and was returned to his adoptive parents the following day. Theodore Mascarenhas, general secretary of The Catholic Bishop Conference of India, however, refuted the police’s claim and told MoC lawyer that the sister’s statement was taken “under pressure” during interrogation by the police.
On July 3, Saurav and Preeti Agrawal from UP’s Sonebhadra district approached the Ranchi Child Welfare Centre (CWC) with a complaint that Indwar, who allegedly sold them a newborn boy in May, had taken back the child on the pretext of completing court formalities and had returned him. The complainant said they bought the child for Rs 1.20 lakh. Ranchi CWC chief Rupa Verma said, “When we questioned Indwar, she admitted to having sold the child.”
According to CWC officials, Indwar had admitted in writing that she sold two more children to couples in Morabadi and Kanta Toli in Ranchi for Rs 50,000 each, said officials. Indwar also said she had done it with the help of Sister Concelia.