Shillong, July 23: West Bengal Police arrested a couple from Panihati, North 24 Parganas district, for selling their six-month-old child to finance their alcohol addiction. The child’s grandfather, suspected to be the middleman, was also apprehended in connection with the case. The police are investigating possible links to a child trafficking racket, but the child has not been rescued yet.
The arrested individuals identified as Jaideb Chowdhury (father), Sathi Chowdhury (mother), and Kanai Chowdhury (grandfather) are currently being interrogated to determine the identity of the buyer.
As per IANS, the child’s disappearance raised suspicions among local residents, who had noticed the baby missing for a considerable period. When neighbors inquired, the couple falsely claimed that the child was staying with a relative. Sensing foul play, concerned neighbors informed the local councilor, who subsequently alerted the police.
The trio will be presented in a district court on Sunday, and the police will request custody to extract crucial information for their investigation and the child’s safe retrieval, according to an investigating official.
Neighbors revealed that the couple was frequently intoxicated and engaged in intense family quarrels, both internally and with neighbors. However, no one could have foreseen that their desperation for alcohol would lead them to such a dreadful act of selling their own child.
