Infant rescued in Tripura after parents cede custody amid financial strain
The girl child’s mother, admitted that the child was voluntarily handed over but denied selling her;
TCPCR chairperson Jayanti Debbarma (2n from left) visits children’s home housing rescued infant in Tripura. (AT Photo)
Agartala, May 5: Prompt police action led to the rescue of an infant in West Tripura district after it emerged that the child had allegedly been given away by her biological parents due to financial distress.
The incident took place in Katacherra, under the Simna Assembly constituency.
According to police, the baby girl—born at Katlamara hospital—was the fourth child of Laxmi Rani Sarkar (Das) and her husband Prasenjit Das, residents of Katacherra.
The couple reportedly allowed a family from Tripura’s Khowai district to take the infant, citing their inability to meet the expenses of raising another child.
“We didn’t receive any formal complaint against the parents, but the matter was sensitive. So, we informed the Child Line and conducted a rescue operation,” SDPO Mohanpur Sabyasachi Bhowmik told The Assam Tribune over phone.
The child was recovered on Sunday night from Khowai and later shifted to a children’s home.
Bhowmik added that neither the biological parents nor the family that had taken the baby disclosed any information about a monetary exchange. “They haven’t divulged anything regarding whether money changed hands,” he said.
Chairperson of the Tripura Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TCPCR), Jayanti Debbarma, visited the children’s home on Monday and lauded the swift intervention.
“Officials from Child Line, Khowai Police Station, and Simna Police Station worked together to ensure the child’s rescue. The case will now be taken up by the West Tripura Child Welfare Committee,” she said.
“If the biological parents express unwillingness to take responsibility for the child, the specialised adoption cell will identify a suitable family for legal adoption,” Debbarma added.
Sarkar, the infant’s mother, admitted that the child was voluntarily handed over but denied selling her.
“We didn’t ask for money. My husband is sick and unable to earn a living. We simply cannot afford to care for another child. So, we let her go with a family who promised to look after her,” she said.
However, she refused to identify the family that took the baby, in violation of adoption laws.
Police and child welfare authorities are now working to ensure the child’s safety and explore long-term solutions in accordance with legal adoption procedures.