The Mansa district police in Punjab on Saturday arrested a drug-addicted couple and a scrap dealer for allegedly selling the couple’s six-month-old son for ₹1.8 lakh due to financial hardship.
The police said the couple, identified as Sandeep Singh and Gurman Kaur, sold their infant to Sanju Singh, a scrap dealer from Budhlada town.
The child has been rescued and placed in Sri Anant Anath Ashram, a state-approved orphanage in Bathinda’s Nathana village.
Couple’s background and addiction
According to Bareta Station House Officer Baldev Singh, the couple, residents of Akbarpur Khudal village, were unemployed and struggling with severe drug addiction.
Gurman, once a wrestler, reportedly became addicted after marriage. Their addiction left them unable to care for their only child.
Why they sold their baby
Police said the couple accepted ₹1.8 lakh from the scrap dealer, who wanted a male child as he already had four daughters.
The transaction was disguised as an “adoption deed.” Locals alleged the couple used the money to buy drugs and household items.
A case under Section 143(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for human trafficking has been registered.
The scrap dealer’s wife, Aarti, has also been named in the case and is currently absconding.
