Siliguri, 16th December: The Khalpara outpost police arrested a man last night on the charges of trading his 9-day old child for 20 thousand rupees.
Reportedly, the accused Santosh Mandal and his wife Anita Mandal are residents of Siliguri Maharaja Colony, Ward No. 04. The couple gave birth to a son at Siliguri District Hospital on December 04. Following which, they allegedly sold their son on December 12.
Upon learning the incident, a relative of Anita Mandal lodged a written complaint at the Khalpara outpost. Meanwhile, the accused father was absconding since the incident.
Based on the complaint, the police started investigating the incident and arrested Harish Kumar Bhujhani, who was associated with the child trafficking ring. After questioning him, the police arrested Kishan Chowdhury, another member of the ring. When the duo was produced before the Siliguri court on December 14, the court ordered five days of police custody.
After interrogating them, the police learned about the whereabouts of the fugitive father. Based on a tip-off, the police launched operations and arrested Santosh Mandal last night. He was produced before the Siliguri court today. Police have started an investigation into the whole incident.