Jobless widow tries to sell newborn for Rs 100 in Jamshedpur

JAMSHEDHPUR: Having lost her job at a road-side eatery job during the lockdown and her husband dead soon after, a woman tried to sell her 10-day-old male infant for Rs 100 in Jamshedpur on Wednesday, police said on Thursday.
The cops said they reached a petrol pump in the Jugsalai locality after a tip-off that a mother was waiting there to hand over the child to a customer. While they managed to prevent the sale of the baby, the man managed to escape. Police said the woman, who hails from Chakradharpur, told them that she had no money and was left with no option but to sell her baby. “She told us that she gave birth to the child outside Tatanagar station as she could not afford hospital delivery,” the source said. Police said they are also probing if the baby belonged to the woman or was stolen.
Police took the woman and her child into custody and handed them over to Sonari-based NGO Bal Kalyan Samiti. Samiti member Alok Bhaskar, said: “The child is safe and caregivers are looking after him. Anyone related to the child can stake claim through legal procedures within 60 days before we take its custody.”