Habeeb Nagar police in Hyderabad have arrested six people, including a mother for selling a child for Rs 45,000 with the help of a middleman. The woman sold off her own son to her neighbours for meeting household expenses.
All the accused were taken to Habib Nagar police station for interrogation. The police said, "A case was registered against the woman and we are investigating."
Shaikh Zoya Khan and her husband, Abdul Mujahid, are residents of Subhanpura, Nampally. They have a 2-month-old baby boy. Mujahid works at a bar and restaurant in Errum Manzil Colony area of the city.
The wife is addicted to alcohol and the couple used to have regular fights over her addiction. Mujahid went to his parents' house in Makhta on August 3 after fighting with Zoya and returned on August 8.
When he returned home, he could not see his son. He inquired about his son from Zoya. She told him that she has sold off the child for Rs 45,000 to Shaik Mohammad and Tabassum Begum, who reside at Aghapura, Hyderabad.
When Mujahed contacted the buyers, he was told that the child was sold off to another woman named Ayesha Jabeen at Chanchalguda. They told Mujahid that they will return the child back to him but did not do as they said and concealed the child's whereabouts from him.
Worried over his child's safety, Mujahid lodged a complaint with police on Tuesday.
When Habeeb Nagar police investigated the matter, they found out that Siraj Begum, a woman belonging to Kalapathar, had sold the baby for Rs 45,000.
Police took Zoya into custody and after interrogating her, she confessed to her crime. Ayesha Jabeen, Shaik Mohammad, Tabassum Begum and Shameem Begum, were all arrested by the police.
All those who were arrested have been sent to remand. The baby boy was handed over to his father.
Last year, a woman had sold off her teen daughter to a trafficker and her one-year-old son. The trafficker informed the girl that she has been sold off for Rs one lakh by her own mother. The girl was later rescued.
