Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur

Kundapur, Jan 7: In a heart-rending incident that came to light with some delay, a three-day-old baby was allegedly sold by her own mother at Dombe in Paduvari gram panchayat limits at Byndoor here.

A Nagamma Poojary and Shekhar Poojary, residents of Dombe allegedly sold the baby to Sridhar Mogera and his wife, residents of Heble near Shiroor, for a sum of Rs one lac.

The locals who came to know about the incident complained to the Udupi child welfare committee, whose officials came to Dombe to investigate. It was then that the details came to light.

It is said that the mother of the baby confessed to the act right from the start of the investigation. The couple who bought the baby has since been asked to appear before the child welfare committee.

However, no case has been registered so far.

Shekar works at a hotel in Bengaluru. The family suffers from abject poverty. Out of five children of Nagamma and Shekar, one died sometime ago. Nagamma gave birth to the fifth child on December 23, and on December 26, the girl baby was sold to the Mogera couple as Shekar and Nagamma were unable to take care of her, sources said.

Sources claimed that the baby was sold at a price of Rs one lac. Sridhar Poojary who allegedly bought the baby works at a bank and is brother of Heble gram panchayat president N D Mogera, it is said.