Father forced to ‘sell’ 3-year-old son to settle hospital dues in UP’s Kushinagar, 5 arrested

The Utter Pradesh Police on Saturday said a man in Kushinagar was allegedly compelled to "sell" his three-year-old son to secure the "release" of his wife and newborn baby from a private hospital in the district after he was unable to pay the fee, news agency PTI reported.

The Kushinagar police said five people have been arrested, including a couple who purchased the child. The police added that the minor had been safely rescued and returned to his parents.

According to reports, Harish Patel—a resident of Barwa Patti—had sought medical care at a private hospital for his wife's delivery. It was the sixth child of Patel, the locals said.

However, Harish Patel—a daily wage earner—was unable to pay the hospital fee immediately. As a result, the hospital staff refused to allow the mother and the newborn baby to leave the hospital without full payment. In his desperation, the father was compelled to "sell" his three-year-old son to a couple under a fraudulent adoption deed for a few thousand rupees on Friday.

The incident sparked outrage and prompted swift action from authorities after they were informed.

The Kushinagar police immediately launched a probe after they were informed about the incident. After a preliminary investigation, they launched a hunt for individuals involved in the crime and arrested five people, including the alleged middleman Amresh Yadav, the "adoptive parents" Bhola Yadav and his wife Kalawati, a fake doctor Tara Kushwaha, and a helper at the hospital Suganti, Kushinagar SP Santosh Kumar Mishra told PTI.

The Kushinagar SP removed the police constable, who allegedly failed to take action in the case, from active duty and transferred him to the police lines.

Earlier in August, a newborn girl was allegedly sold by her father for ₹56,000 to a childless couple at a private hospital in the Gangiri police station area of Aligarh allegedly to tide over financial distress. The matter came to the fore after the baby's mother filed a police complaint, following which police, after scanning CCTV footage, detained the father, and the couple who bought the baby girl.