Infant sold for Rs 80K, three held

Coimbatore: A couple and a woman were arrested on Tuesday night for buying an infant boy for Rs 80,000 from a poor woman at Angalakurichi near Pollachi.
The accused were identified as Gokila, 42, her husband Rajeshkumar, 43, and Nirmala, 41, a social worker from Puliyankandi near Aliyar. The couple from Annapuram near Podanur decided to buy a baby as they did not have a child. Nirmala helped them in the process, police said.
Police said Nirmala approached Karuppthal, of Angalakurichi, who delivered a baby boy on August 15 at Aliyar primary health centre. With three children and an ailing husband, she was finding it impossible to make ends meet. The woman agreed to sell her child to the couple for Rs 80,000.
On September 6, Nirmala paid her the money and took away the baby to be handed over to the couple. The next day, some people from Angalakurichi informed Child Line officials. Following this, I Angeline, counsellor, Child Line, held an inquiry with Karuppathal, who accepted that she had sold her newborn. Based on a complaint, Aliyar police registered a case of child trafficking and arrested the trio. tnn