Balasore: A man allegedly sold his his four-day-old newborn son to a childless couple to buy a new motorcycle in Odisha’s Balasore district.
The incident was reported from Hadamoud village under Basta police limits and came to light after the accused, Dharmu Behera, drew attention of local community by riding the bike around the village.
Dharmu from Podapoda village under Rasgobindpur block in Mayurbhanj district married Shanti Patra, a resident of the village, about three years ago. This was their second marriage. Shanti had a son from her previous marriage. Dharmu also had two sons from his previous marriage.
On December 19, 2024, Shanti delivered another baby boy at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College in Baripada. Dharmu allegedly sold the newborn to a childless couple from Sainkula village under Udala police limits in Mayurbhanj district, for Rs 60,000, after the mother-son duo was discharged from the hospital on December 22.
The deal was facilitated by two youths of the village, sources said.
The newborn was rescued from Udala on Saturday by Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Mayurbhanj and Basta police, a day after villagers filed a complaint seeking investigation in the matter. The baby is now in the custody of the Special Adoption Agency, Baripada.
Shanti, however, claimed that she decided to give the baby to childless couple since they were unable to raise him. “I did not sell my baby,” she said.
The couple, Dharani Behera and Shanti Behera, who bought the baby, corroborated her claim.
