Mumbai: Court denies relief to mother, two others booked for selling 2-month-old infant for ₹3 lakh

Mumbai: A sessions court has denied protection from arrest to a young mother - a labourer and two others who acted as agents and helped her sell her two-month-old infant to a Wadala-based childless couple for ₹3 lakh. 

Rejecting their plea for anticipatory bail, the court said in its order of last week that the offence is very serious and the helpless child was sold to the couple by the main accused - one Sathosh Dhumale with the help of the trio. The court further said that the role of each applicant is prominent in the offence.

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Detailed investigation necessary: Court

Additional Sessions Judge MG Deshpande said in the order that the court is of the opinion that a detailed investigation is necessary, without which the truth will not come forward. The court also reasoned that if granted protection by it, they will hamper and paralyze the investigation. 

The police had strongly opposed anticipatory bail to the accused. Opposing the relief to the mother, the police said that being aware that selling her child is an offence, she did so and that the police had seized the amount she gained from it, from her residence. Similarly, opposing protection from arrest to one Namrata Toraskar, 36, the police said she had sent the photo of the infant to her co-accused and the couple who purchased the child and had gained ₹5,000 for it.

Child sold to couple in Sion hospital

Another accused Ketna Pednekar, 40, the police told the court, is a neighbour of Toraskar and had accompanied a co-accused and handed over the child to the couple in Sion hospital. The police also told the court that both these were continuously in touch with Dhumale.