TN police probe baby-selling racket in Tiruchy district

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Police have commenced a detailed probe into a baby-selling racket after the intervention of the Madras High Court in a case related to an infant being sold in the Tiruchy district.

The police have already arrested four people, including an advocate in the case. The mother of the child was also in custody of the district police.

The district police superintendent has told the media persons that the police have commenced a detailed probe into whether the three-month-old baby was alive and whether this was part of a major baby-selling racket in the district and state.

Sources in the district police told IANS that the child has changed hands several times and this was leading to a doubt whether the child was alive or had it landed in the hands of a racket.

Police said that a 32-year-old woman, Janaki, had complained to the police that she had given birth to a child through an illicit relationship and that her family was not willing to accept the child. She, according to the police, in the complaint said that she had handed over the child to the family of an advocate and when she demanded the child back, the advocate and his family refused to return the child.

Tiruchy district Superintendent of Police, Sujith Kumar told the media persons that the police then registered a case under the Juvenile Justice Act against the advocate who moved for anticipatory bail.

However, the woman made contradictory statements in court and said that the police had forced her to register the case and that the baby was in her possession.

The police on further probe arrested Advocate Prabhu, his wife, a car driver Akash and another person and have been remanded in judicial custody.

The probe is on into whether this is a single case or whether an interstate racket is involved in the selling of babies. The police have also to ascertain whether the child is alive or not.

A senior of the Tiruchi district police told IANS that the Advocate has to be questioned in police custody to find out whether there have been more people involved in the case and whether this was an interstate racket. He also said that the police special team was probing the case and was meeting local people to find out whether there have been such cases earlier also.