Three-Day-Old Newborn Girl Put Up For Sale Over WhatsApp For $3,800

In a shocking incident, two fake doctors have been arrested for trying to sell a three-day-old baby through WhatsApp. The incident came to light after the message, that went viral on the platform, caught the attention of child welfare outfits.

Police identified the main accused as Chavali Amrutha Rao, hailing from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, reported The Times Of India. The arrests happened after a member of the WhatsApp group, where the message appeared, alerted the authorities.

The text message read: "Female baby. 3 kgs. 3 lakhs ($3,800). The birth certificate comes with our own surname." Videos and images of the baby girl were also shared, along with a phone number.

Authorities contacted the number, and Rao answered the call. He informed them that the message was forwarded to him by a woman, who was also a medical practitioner. Rao identified her as Pushpalata. She too was found to be a fake doctor.

A detailed investigation revealed that Pushpalata was a neighbor of the child's parents. The child's mother, when questioned, said this was her third baby.

According to the mother, she had casually mentioned to Pushpalata during her pregnancy that she would give up the third baby for adoption if it turned out to be a boy. The woman had two other boys and wanted a girl. The child turned out to be a girl, and she decided to keep it.

The mother alleged that Pushpalatha visited her at the hospital, and took photos and videos of the child. She said she had no clue about the message, and all these were carried out without her consent. Authorities said the child is safe and with her mother.

"We have booked a case under Juvenile Justice Act. We are questioning the two people," a senior police official told Deccan Chronicle.

A similar incident was reported this week in the Indian city of Odisha where a two-month-old baby boy was allegedly sold by a private clinic. The child's father told reporters that the clinic had sold off the baby for non-payment of treatment charges. The clinic, however, claimed that the newborn died while being under treatment. The child's mother too had died during delivery.