Drug-addict couple held for selling 5-month-old son for Rs 1.8 lakh in Punjabs Mansa, booked for child trafficking

PTC News Desk: In a shocking incident, a drug-addict couple from Akbarpur Khudal village in the Budhlada subdivision of Punjab’s Mansa district sold their five-month-old son for Rs 1.8 lakh to “fund their addiction”. 

So far the Mansa Police has arrested the couple and registered a case of child trafficking against four individuals. 

District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Harjinder Kaur confirmed the development. “We have verified from reliable sources that the drug-addict couple handed over their child to a family in Budhlada about a month ago. Both families even signed a document, which they termed an ‘adoption letter’. Our teams are now gathering more details,” she said.

The mother was once a state-level wrestler who was pushed into the addiction as her husband was a habitual user. The couple who met on Instagram, now live in a penury with a makeshift kitchen 

The sources said the couple used the money to buy drugs, a few household goods and to reclaim their mortgaged motorcycle. “We requested them several times to mend their ways, but they didn’t budge,” said the village sarpanch’s husband.

The DCPO said given the couple’s condition and addiction, the child could not be immediately returned to them due to safety concerns. “The final decision on whether the child remains with the family that adopted him or is taken into our custody will rest with the higher authorities. However, we currently lack infrastructure for such care,” she said.