Four Arrested In Odisha For Forcing Couple To Sell Their Newborn Child

Four people were arrested by Kendrapara police on Saturday, including an ASHA worker and the owner of nursing home, in Odisha's coastal Kendrapara district. The arrested people are ASHA worker Ananpurna Moharana, Sk Sahabuddin of Charinangal village who purchased the newborn, owner of Surya Nursing Home at Kendrapara Imtiaz Ahmad and a sweeper of the nursing home Sk Muna. The newborn was found in Sishu Bhawan at Cuttack. A day after the couple alleged that they were forced to sell their newborn girl in order to clear the hospital bills. Police said the ASHA worker and nursing home owner and sweeper had facilitated the sale of the child.

Nirakar Maharana from the district Rijhagarh village claimed that he was forced by the ASHA( Accredited Social Health Activists ) worker to take his pregnant wife to a private nursing home instead of a state-run district hospital for the delivery of their third child on Tuesday. Gitanjali Maharana, his wife gave birth to the baby girl at the clinic the same night.

When the couple failed to clear the hospital bill of Rs 7,500, the ASHA worker allegedly persuaded them to sell the baby girl to a childless couple for Rs 12,000. The couple expressed their inability to arrange the money and the newborn was subsequently sold to a childless couple in exchange of Rs12,000.

The couple lodged a police complaint over the incident on Friday.However, the ASHA worker claimed that the couple voluntarily sold the baby because they were disappointed with the birth of a girl child, as they already have two daughters.

Kendrapara SP Dayanidhi Gochhayat said prima facie police found involvement of the four persons in the sale of the child.

The police along with child welfare committee of Kendrapara district later rescued the child from a government pediatrics hospital in Cuttack. The couple who bought the child had admitted her into the hospital as she fell ill.

Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Chairman Sishir Routray said the newborn is now under the custody of CWC and undergoing treatment at Sishu Bhawan in Cuttack. Further investigation is still on.
 

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