Racket in sale of babies unearthed

Rourkela, Apr 23: With the arrest of a person, the police has unearthed a racket in sale of babies and were on the look out for two women, including a social worker, involved in the crime.

Police said the matter came to light when a 20-year-old woman Subhanti Dandasena, whose husband deserted her while she was pregnant, gave birth to a baby on April 1 last. A week later the baby was found to be missing.

She reported the matter to the police who found that Subhanti's father had requested one Aanjalica Rout and Anthonia Minz, a social worker, to negotiate with a middleman Srinibas Patra for the sale of the baby.

The middleman was arrested yesterday and confessed to the crime, police said adding the two women are absconding.

Patra told the police that he had adopted the baby by making an affidavit with a notary and subsequently sold it to a Visakhapatnam-based businessmen Suresh Agarwal.

He was produced before a local court which remanded him to 14 days' judicial custody.

The police contacted the businessman and directed him to report at Rourkela with the baby.