Daijiworld Media Network-Mandya (RJP)

Mandya, Jun 14: A man was arrested while he attempted to sell his 2-year-old baby in Srirangapatna near here on Tuesday, Jun 13.

Some alert people helped the police and members of the Child Helpline to rescue the baby girl who was being sold by her father.

The father aged 32 is a resident of Bengaluru. Some alert people came to know that he was trying to sell the baby and they informed police about it. The police acted swiftly and took the father and child into custody. The baby was placed in the care of the Child Helpline later.

The child’s father admitted that he tried to sell his daughter as he was unable to look after her. He said that he had come to Srirangapatna along with his wife and son and was accompanied by a friend and his son. But his wife eloped with his friend and took away their son but left the girl child behind.

The man confessed that he was unable to look after his daughter and planned to sell her and return to Bengaluru.

As per information available with police, the man has three wives. Two of them had deserted him earlier and the third wife left him on Monday.

As the father expressed his inability to look after the child, she was handed over to an adoption centre.