Baby sold to get money for liquor

● THE COUPLE moved to the city over a decade ago and worked as labourers. Madan Singh, the police said, was an alcoholic. To get money for liquor, he decided to sell his second child and put the idea to his neighbour, who agreed to buy for her sister.

Running short of money for alcohol, a couple sold their two-month-old baby boy to a neighbour for `22,000 in Hyderabad. The Jeedimetla police rescued the baby and handed him over to the Child Welfare Commi-ttee. They also took into custody the couple and their neighbour on Sunday morning.

The police were tipped off at 8 am about the sale of the baby at Devendernagar in Gajularam-aram. The child protection unit rescued the baby while he was being taken to Secunderabad.

The police said the boy is the second child of Madan Singh and Saritha, residents of Batukamma Banda in Gajularamaram. Their other child is also a boy and is six years old.

Madan Singh, the police said, was an alcoholic. To get money, he decided to sell the baby and put the idea to his neighbour, K. Sheshu. She agreed to buy the baby for her sister who did not have children and agreed to pay `22,000. According to the police, the couple signed an undertaking giving away the baby to Sheshu.

Saritha said “I could not sleep all night. I do not know what they (the accused) told my husband. I got to know that they were taking away the child when the police rescued my son.”

Jeedimatla SI K. Manmadh Rao said police had recovered the agreement signed by Singh and Saritha and four other witnesses. Police is verifying if Saritha’s signature was forged on the ‘agreement’.