Tears of joy ran across the cheeks of Tagarapu Rajitha as she held the baby boy close to her at the government area hospital here. Three days after the infant was sold to an auto driver, the child was reunited with the mother whose happiness knew no bounds.
The young single mother (20) sold her two-day-old baby boy to the auto driver, Mada Ishwar (36) for Rs 6,500 on February 22 to clear the medical bill as demanded by the hospital staff for ensuring a ‘safe’ delivery. Rajitha gave birth to the baby by a caesarean section on February 20.
Both Ishwar and Rajitha’s aunt Dattam Sunitha, who was a mediator for the sale, were arrested on Tuesday evening. The incident came as a major embarrassment to Union minister of state for women and child development Renuka Chowdary, state Vaidya Vidhana Parishad and hospital services minister Vanama Venkateswara Rao. While Kothagudem is represented by Vanama in the Assembly, the segment comes under the Union minister’s Khammam Lok Sabhaconstituency.
District SP Mahesh Bhagwat told TOI that after the baby boy was born, Sunitha advised her to sell the baby to a childless couple. “She had also arranged for the buyer. We have arrested them under sections 317 (abandoning the child) and 372, 373 (selling/purchasing of babies) of IPC and registered a case,” Bhagawat said.
Rajitha of Manchiryal in Adilabad district was abandoned by her husband Rammurthy, a lorry driver, and moved to her aunt’s house in Kothagudem for delivery as she was unable to bear the medical expenses. The SP said the baby was traced and reunited with the mother after the police team nabbed Ishwar. He said Rajitha would also face charges for selling the baby. “We will file a case against her too,” he said.
Rajitha told the police, who interrogated her on Tuesday, that she had no means to support herself and the baby and hence, resorted to selling the baby. Rajitha married Rammurthy against her family’s wishes, but the couple developed serious differences when Rajitha came to know that Rammurthy was already married.
“Her financial condition was such that she could not afford to pay Rs 2,000 to the hospital staff. So, she sold her infant,” a relative said. Police said they would enquire and take action against the hospital staff for demanding money.
Kothagudem revenue divisional officer P Rajaram said a case would be booked against the erring staff. “We are also probing whether the doctor had asked for money from the woman,” he said. Sources said the doctor, who engaged an anaesthetist, had demanded bribe from Rajitha. Welfare department officials said they would shift the mother and the infant to a staterun facility.
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