Balasore: Scourge of poverty has yet again forced a poor couple from the state to sell off their newborn baby for some cash. This time the incident has been reported from Daraghapadia area in Balasore district.
According to a source, the couple — Sheikh Piru Khan, a daily wager and his wife Hussain Biwi, who works as domestic help in the locality — have confessed to have sold off their seven-day-old son for Rs 20,000.
They said they had to do it because they are not financially strong enough to raise their newborn child, the seventh one to be born to them.
The couple said they had already sent two of their sons to their relatives expressing their inability to bring up the children. Since the birth of their seventh child, a son, the couple had been in distress. They had made up their mind to sale him off.
Friday afternoon a deal was settled for Rs 20,000 and they handed over their son to a resident of Phulbazaar area. The man took the infant after getting their signatures on paper. “I love my children. If I get any assistance from the government, I will bring my son back,” said Hussain Biwi.
When contacted, town police station inspector-in-charge Sarojini Nayak said no complaint has been registered with the police in this context.
Similarly, district child welfare officer Jubak Majhi pleaded his ignorance when contacted. Steps would be taken following an investigation, was the official response.
Sub-collector Neelu Mohapatra also claimed he had no information about this incident. That said, he assured that an officer would immediately be directed to investigate the incident.
PNN