Jharkhand: Mother sells newborn for Rs 7,000 in Dhanbad

A mother of five allegedly sold her newborn daughter for Rs 7,000 to a woman at Patliputra Medical College (PMCH) in Dhanbad, officials said on 19 July.

Dulali Devi (40), gave birth to twins, a son and a daughter, in the gynaecology ward of PMCH on the evening of 17 July, a PMCH official said.

Child Welfare Committee (CWC) chairperson Nita Sinha said Dulali "sold" her newborn daughter to a Shahida Khatoon for Rs 7,000 on 18 July. However, on intervention of the CWC, the infant was reunited with the mother within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, PMCH has set up an enquiry committee to probe the matter.

PMCH Superintendent Dr Ranjan Pandey said initial reports suggested that none of the hospital staff were involved in the act.

However, an inquiry has been ordered to look into how such incident took place in the hospital.

Dulali, a mother of three children, admitted to the CWC and hospital authorities that she was forced to do so as she was not in a position to raise five children. Her husband works in a rolling mill and struggles to feed his family, Dulali added.

--PTI