Since the nationwide lockdown, so many have lost their jobs, including this couple in Bengal who out of desperation had to sell off their daughter for Rs. 3,000!

Tapasi, a domestic help and her husband Bapan, a daily wage earner, were finding it difficult to make ends meet as they are both out of jobs. 

Fearing the spread of COVID-19, employers have stopped using her services, rendering her jobless for the past 3 months. While her daily wage earner husband living in West Midnapore is going through the same. 

Not being able to procure food for the baby, they allegedly sold off their two-and-a-half-month old daughter for Rs. 3,000. 

On Thursday, Police and officers of NGO Childline recovered the infant from a house in Howrah. The baby was admitted to a state-run hospital. While her parents are still at large. 

Agnishwar Chowdhury, sub-divisional police officer of Ghatal shared that the child was recovered from a couple’s house who were distant relatives of the real parents. 

A police officer commented that: 

The couple’s neighbours told us Tapasi used to work as domestic help. Most families are not allowing their domestic helps at their houses. Tapasi lost her job. Bapan, too, was a daily wage earner and he, too, had no work. We learnt the couple was struggling to procure food for the child

After investigation, the police came to know that Bapan has a distant relative in Howrah district. The officer shared: 

The first tip-off we received was from Bapan’s neighbours who could not find the child anywhere. They did not hear her crying. When we started probing, we came to know about Bapan’s distance relatives, who are a childless couple.

The district child protection officer, Sandip Kumar Bose stated that the infant would be in the hospital for 3-4 days and after that will be sent to a state-run home. 

Shankar Dalui, MLA of Ghatal shared that he is not ready to accept the couple sold off their infant because of a shortage of funds. He stated that: 

The state government has floated several schemes for the poor. Rice is being given free of cost. There are other schemes as well. Even after this if the couple sold their daughter it is unthinkable

With so many out of jobs, it is heartbreaking to see what is happening in the country.