Telangana child rights body orders action over Nalgonda infant sale case

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed officials to take immediate action following the disclosure of an illegal infant sale in Nalgonda district.

The incident came to light after a couple from Shantinagar, Korra Babu and Parvathi, sold their newborn daughter to a family from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh, reportedly because the birth of a fourth girl was seen as a financial burden.

Officials from the District ICDS department, Child Protection Unit, and Child Welfare Committee initiated an investigation, exposing the unlawful transaction.

The Commission instructed authorities to take strict action against those who facilitated the illegal adoption and ordered that the infant be kept under the Telangana State Home protection for ten days.

Expressing dissatisfaction, the Commission noted that such incidents have been recurring in Nalgonda despite previous warnings to officials.

Lokayukta takes suo motu cognisance

Telangana Lokayukta, Justice A Rajasekhar Reddy, has taken suo motu cognisance of the issue based on media reports about the sale of the girl child.

The Lokayukta issued orders to the District Child Welfare Officer and Women and Child Welfare Department Officer Krishnaveni to submit a detailed report by November 4 on the protective measures taken for the infant.

Panchayat Raj employee involved in illegal deal

Police have detained both the couple who sold the baby and the couple who purchased her. Investigations revealed that on October 25, a mediator named Kondal from Guntur district facilitated an illegal sale agreement for Rs 2.5 lakh between the Nalgonda couple and Sambamurthy–Rajitha, a couple employed in the Panchayat Raj department from Eluru.

An advance of Rs 10,000 was reportedly paid, and the child was handed over on Saturday, with the remaining amount scheduled for payment on Monday.

Mother, baby under care at Sakhi Centre

Currently, the baby and her mother are under care at the Sakhi Centre, and arrangements are being made to hand the infant over to the Child Welfare Committee.

Nalgonda SP Sharath Chandra Pawar’s team has taken up the case as a priority and launched a thorough investigation to determine whether the accused have connections to earlier child sale incidents in the district.