Curse of gender bias: 40-day-old baby girl sold for Rs 25000, rescued

HYDERABAD: In a shocking incident of discrimination against girl child, an auto-rickshaw driver, allegedly sold his 40-day-old baby girl for Rs 25,000 in Bibinagar of Nalgonda district. Though the child’s mother Badri was dead against her husband’s decision to sell the child, the man had his way and even roped in an RMP, who played the mediator in the deal. Luckily, the police got wind of the matter and rescued the baby.

Police arrested seven persons including the child’s father Bhukya Shekar, his parents, the RMP doctor besides the couple who wanted to adopt the child. Pandu, brother of Badri, was also arrested.
The couple already has two daughters and another girl was born to them on June 22 in Bhongir Government hospital.  After being discharged from the hospital, she came to her maternal home at Chinnapalugu tanda in Bibinagar mandal. Her husband and in-laws also reside in the same village.  As they were facing financial problems, Shekar wanted to give away the child. But Badri refused to it.  Her in-laws threatened her not to come to the house with the girl child.

“With no option left, I agreed to the proposal. They told me that the child will be given to a relative, where she will have better facilities, but I do not know they sold my child for money,” Badri told the police.
Though the deal was sealed on July 12, the Integrated Child Development Services of Bibinagar received a tip off that a newborn was missing in the tanda. Further inquiries revealed that the child was sold.  Yadadri DCP E Ramachandra Reddy said  Badri’s brother Pandu met RMP Narsinga Rao. Narsinga Rao told that his brother-in-law Narsimha who is childless, about the deal. Narsimha paid Rs 25,000 and took the baby, while Narsinga Rao took Rs 5,000 as commission, the DCP said.