Baby-sale racket busted; 4 held for bid to sell girl

MADURAI: Thoothukudi police have busted an illegal baby-selling racket and arrested four persons, including three women, in a case. The arrests were made on Tuesday evening.

The accused have been identified as C Mariyappan (44), Mareeswari (22), baby’s mother from Subramaniapuram, Kovilpatti, Ayyammal (40), Mareeswari’s mother and Sooriamma alias Sooramma (75), sources said.

Acting on a tip off about the sale of a baby, Thoothukudi Superintendent of Police L Balaji Saravanan formed a special team to nab those involved in the racket.

The special team intensified the patrolling along Palayamkottai Road under the limits of Thoothukudi South police. During the drive, cops found four persons with one of them carrying a five-month old girl near a temple on Palayamkottai Road.

The team grew suspicious of those with the baby and questioned them why and what for they were waiting in front of the temple. Further investigations revealed that the group were all residents of TNHB Colony and were about to sell the baby illegally for want of money.

Following their confession, the police team rescued the baby girl and handed it over to Thoothukudi Government Child Care Centre, the SP said. Thoothukudi South police registered a case and arrested all the four persons.