Gang used to sell girl for Rs 80K, boy Rs 4 lakh

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 4

Members of the inter-state child trafficking gang arrested by the local police have reportedly revealed that they used to sell a girl child between Rs 80,000 and Rs1 lakh and a boy for around Rs4 lakh. Among five persons held, one suspect is a Punjab Police constable, while two women are ASHA workers.

Baby girl recovered

The UT police have recovered another child, an 11-day-old girl, from Chandigarh on the basis of information provided by the suspects. The girl was reportedly sold in Chandigarh.

The suspects, identified as Amarjit Singh (29), a constable and resident of Sector 14, Kharar, Mandeep Singh (35), a resident of Jalaldiwal village in Ludhiana district, and three women, including two ASHA workers — Kuldeep Kaur (32), a resident of Patiala, and Sarabjit Kaur (40) of Sangrur — and Bhawna (32), a resident of Burail, were arrested from near the Airport light point on August 3.

A two-day-old boy was also recovered from them. The child was to be sold for Rs4 lakh.

Inspector Paramjit Kaur, SHO, Sector 31 police station, said the suspects claimed that they had got the newborn from Malerkotla in Sangrur district. “The suspects claimed that they told the child’s parents that their baby had died at the time of birth. However, we are verifying their statement,” the SHO said.

Police sources said it was also suspected that the parents of newborn sold him to the suspects for money.

A team will visit Malerkotla to verify the information. The SHO said a girl child was sold for around Rs80,000 to Rs1 lakh, while a boy was sold for Rs4 lakh. The gang was active in neighbouring states, including Punjab and Delhi.

A case under Sections 370 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered. All suspects were produced in a court and sent to seven-day police remand.

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