Newborn Rescued in Cumilla's Chauddagram After Alleged Sale for Tk 150,000, Four Arrested
Police have arrested four people in Chauddagram, Cumilla, over the alleged sale of a young woman's newborn son for Tk 150,000. The newborn was also rescued in a healthy condition.
A contract made on a Tk 100 non-judicial stamp for handing over the child was also seized. Additional Superintendent of Police of Cumilla Md Lutfar Rahman gave the information to journalists on Monday afternoon (26 October).
The arrested are Jobeda Akter Sanjida (35), Nazrul Islam Monir (48), Swapna Begum and Ripon. Police said the child had been moved elsewhere to conceal his father's identity. The seized contract mentioned handing over the newborn in exchange for Tk 150,000.
The incident took place in a village in Chauddagram upazila. The young woman alleged that a youth from the same village had physical relations with her several times on the promise of marriage, leaving her pregnant. On 23 October she gave birth to a son at a private hospital in Chauddagram.
According to the victim's family, her father died about 12 years ago and her mother was staying at a hospital in Dhaka for a long time for the treatment of her sick elderly grandmother. The family alleged the youth raped her several times taking advantage of her being alone at home at that time. She did not tell anyone at first out of fear; her mother learned of it later after noticing changes in her physical condition.
The family alleged that after the matter became known, the accused youth's family first tried to avoid it. Later, an assurance of marriage was given to cover up the incident and an initiative was taken to settle it through a local arbitration. The family claimed Tk 300,000 had been mentioned as part of the settlement.
The family further alleged that when the young woman went into labour on Friday night, she was taken to a private hospital, where she gave birth to a son through a normal delivery. Immediately after the birth, people from the accused side took the newborn away.
The young woman's elder sister claimed they had learned the child was sold elsewhere for Tk 50,000. However, the contract recovered by police mentioned Tk 150,000.
After the matter came to the attention of the superintendent of police, detective police and Chauddagram police station began a joint operation. Using intelligence and modern technology, they located the child and rescued him. Police did not give details of where the child was rescued from.
Additional Superintendent of Police Md Lutfar Rahman said a case had been filed against the arrested persons under the relevant sections of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Suppression Act. Whether anyone else was involved was being examined, and operations to arrest other culprits were continuing.
