Father Sells 2-Month-Old Baby To Clear Off Debt, Police Rescue Child

In a shocking incident, a father sold his 2-month-old baby to a couple so that he could clear off his debt. Police arrested the man and rescued the baby Monday.

The incident happened in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. Police said Syed Hyder sold the child to a relative a few days ago. Hyder had taken a loan and wanted to settle it, Telangana Today reported. The relative then sold the baby to a couple.

On Monday, police rescued the baby and handed the child over to his mother. Police also arrested Abdul Riyaz and Saheda Mohammed, the couple who purchased the child, and Hajera Begum and Reshma Begum, who mediated the deal. The accused were produced before a court Monday and were taken into police custody.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Hyder and Shahana Begum got married in 2019 and the couple had a child two months ago. Hyder frequently quarreled with his wife and forced her to sell the child for a good amount so that he could pay off his debts. But, his wife refused and asked him to drop the plan, New Indian Express reported.

On April 15, Hyder left home with the child without informing anyone. His wife waited for two days. She filed a police complaint as he did not return.

When police questioned him, Hyder confessed to selling the baby.

In another incident last week, police rescued a 17-year-old girl who was forced into marriage and later gang-raped by her in-laws. The minor, a college student, was rescued after she fled from her in-laws' home. Authorities said the girl was married off against her wishes to a person from a nearby village in the western Indian state of Rajasthan.

After her marriage, she was repeatedly raped by her husband's brother and sister-in-law's husband. A case was registered against the family members for "selling" the minor into a marriage. Police charged her in-laws for physical exploitation and rape.