Baby girl given in illegal adoption rescued within hours

Madurai: Timely intervention by an unknown caller and the Madurai city police resulted in an illegally adopted newborn baby

girl being returned to her mother in less than three hours on Friday. No case was registered but the mother, her aunt and

couple to whom the child was given were let off with a warning after the district child welfare committee (CWC) obtained a

statement in writing from them.

CWC member B Pandiaraja told TOI that the baby’s mother, 30, from Paravai was married to a man nearly twice her age 10

years ago. She had a child with him and the girl is now nine years old. After getting separated from him about four years ago,

she started living with another person, with whom she conceived again.

It is learnt that the man, who is ailing from cancer, was also married and returned to his family recently. Under these

circumstances, the pregnant woman returned to live with her stepmother in Paravai. She delivered the baby girl on August 20

in GRH and was discharged on Friday. Fearing criticism from neighbours if they returned home, the stepmother contacted a

woman she met in GRH a few months ago. Though the 32-year-old woman and her 55-year-old husband have two children, the

woman evinced interest in adopting the newborn. The baby was taken to their house in Harveypatti.

Meanwhile the husband of the “adoptive couple” got annoyed on coming to know about his wife’s interest and asked her to

return the baby. It was in this backdrop that an unknown caller called the police helpline and informed that a newborn was

illegally sold for Rs 1.5 lakh. The baby was returned to the real mother in the evening.

City police inspectors Anuratha and Flower Sheela and senior officers conducted an inquiry with those involved in the incident

on Friday night. On Saturday, CWC members Pandiaraja and L Shamugam, district child protection officer Sridhar and the police

conducted inquiry and got a statement from all of them. The mother has been asked to produce the baby before the CWC

every month. However, police said a case would be registered and action taken if any financial transaction had taken place for

the illegal adoption.

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