Shirasi, 12 July

A couple from Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district has been arrested for allegedly selling their 20-day-old baby boy for ₹3 lakh to repay a private loan. Two individuals from Belagavi who bought the child were also taken into custody on Saturday.

The couple, residents of Deshpande Nagar in old Dandeli town, delivered the baby at the government hospital in Dandeli on 17 June. They had taken a loan from private financial firms with weekly repayment terms. As they were unable to repay, they were reportedly harassed regularly for payments.

To escape the pressure, the couple allegedly sold the infant in Dharwad on 8 July to Noor Muhammad Abdulmajid and Kishan Srikant Irekar, both from Belagavi.

The case came to light when Anganwadi worker Reshma Mahadev Pavaskar, who had earlier provided the Taayi Card (mother card) to the couple for accessing government benefits, noticed the baby was no longer at home. Suspicious, she informed the Dandeli Town Police.

The police arrested the couple and the two buyers. The baby has been placed in the care of the Child Welfare Committee in Shirasi.