Doctor, wife held for sale of newborns

doctor and his wife, who were detained on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the sale of newborn babies, were arrested by the Shivajinagar (Ichalkaranji) police on Wednesday.

A local court remanded the accused, Arun Bhupal Patil and Ujwalla, to seven days in police custody.

Patil ran a general surgical and maternity hospital at Jawaharlal Nagar in Ichalkaranji. A team from the Central Adoption Resources Authority (CARA) and the district women and child welfare committee raided the hospital on Tuesday night and handed over the couple to the police.

Deputy superintendent of police Vinayak Narale said Patil has confessed to having sold two newborn babies for Rs 2 lakh each in the last three months.

Police have also booked a couple from Chhattisgarh who purchased one of the newborns from Patil and his wife. The other baby was sold to a couple from Mumbai. Narale said, "We are gathering information about the couples and their exact addresses." Police are examining several documents seized from Patil's hospital. "We are also questioning the staff working at the hospital," Narale said.

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