Judicial custody for 3 in child sale case

A court on Monday sent three persons arrested in connection with the alleged sale of a five-month-old boy from Akbarpur Khudal village here to 14-day judicial custody. Their two-day police remand ended on Monday.

The alleged drug-addict parents from Akbarpur Khudal village, who “sold” their child, and a man from Budhlada town, who had “bought” him under the guise of adoption, were arrested on human trafficking charge. The Budhlada man’s wife, however, is yet to be arrested.

The complainant, the infant’s maternal aunt, alleged that those who “bought” the child used to supply drugs to her sister, a state-level wrestler, and brother-in-law.

She told The Tribune, “When the Budhlada couple saw my sister and her husband couldn’t live without ‘chitta’, they offered them drugs and money. Under the influence of drugs, they sold their son for Rs 1.8 lakh and even went to an advocate to sign documents.”