Coronavirus: Impoverished Indian migrant couple try to sell their two-month-old, amid lockdown

With no work or money amid India’s lockdown, a migrant worker couple in Hyderabad tried to sell their two-month-old baby boy for Rs22,000 (Dh1,065) yesterday. Twitter users are sharing the “horrific” news, discussing how the lockdown is pushing people to take drastic steps.

Reportedly, cops arrested the couple Madan Kumar Singh, 32 and Saritha, 30, who migrated from Uttar Pradesh, to Hyderabad, for work. The construction labourers who lost their jobs during the lockdown, were taking the help of a woman named Seshu, who was brokering the deal. She was also taken into custody.

The couple has two children, and tried selling the younger one. The first child is seven years old.

Sharing the news report, tweep @Agrawal_Raj: “Now this. A new low being reached every day. While this too shall pass, scars and sorrow will remain forever. #migrants”

According to PV Padmaja Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police of Balanagar, the child was “rescued and shifted to Sishu Vihar being run by the Women and Child Welfare Department,” reported hindustantimes.com.

The report also stated that as per enquiries, the couple was “facing acute poverty conditions”.

The police said the couple had apparently thought they would not be able to raise the second child due to lack of resources.

The child’s mother, however, told the police that her husband was also addicted to alcohol, and was pestering her for money to buy liquor. Other possible reasons for the sale of the child are also being investigated, the police have said.

The broker Seshu, reportedly, helped them find a childless couple, who agreed to buy the child for Rs22,000. The police said they received a tipoff, and managed to nab Seshu while she was taking the child for a medical examination.

Highlighting the miserable conditions faced by India’s migrant workers and other poor people in the country, @TheAmitLakhani tweeted: “Misery and sufferings all around. Just imagine, parents selling off their child because of poverty.”

However, @KhalidHMukadam said the reason could be, to ensure their baby didn’t starve: “[maybe] they were ensuring their child gets proper food and care…”

Tweep @All4Dhananjay pointed out that the politicians, and lawmakers, were continuing to ignore the sufferings of the poor citizens. “Where has humanity died? Why don't local administration… ministers come out from there air conditioned rooms, and assist the needy?”, he asked.