Delhi, India: Two separate cases are being reported where parents have sold their six-day-old newborn children.
In Delhi police were alerted to the sale on the evening of June 15 when a couple called to report that their child had been kidnapped.
30-year-old Govind Kumar and his wife, 22-year-old Pooja Devi told investigators that a relative, 50-year-old Haripal Singh had been staying with them for several days and that when he had departed, he took the child with him.
Officers made contact with Singh who denied taking the child, but did tell officers that he knew of someone that was looking to purchase a child.
"Haripal knew a man named Raman Yadav who was looking to buy a child for his relatives" who had been "married for over 25 years but did not have any children," Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Thakur said.
Kumar and Devi were additionally able to provide information about a couple that may have possession of their child in Kanpur. Officers reached out to the law enforcement there, and those officers were able to meet the couple at the train station when the train arrived.
"As soon as we received the information from the UP police, our teams quickly went to Kanpur," Thakur was quoted by India Today as saying. "But when we met the couple, they denied kidnapping him. They said they had bought the infant after paying money. It was surprising. They also had what they said was an agreement letter."
"We are treating this as a kidnapping case."
On Thursday, officers announced that all six persons involved in the case have been arrested.
"As decided, the infant's parents were paid Rs 2 lakh ($2,690.16 USD) in cash. An agreement was also signed between the two couples and four checks of Rs 60,000 ($807.05 USD) each were handed to Govind and Pooja. Maybe they had a change of heart and then called the police with the fake complaint after three days."
The child has been placed into a children's home in southeast Delhi.
In an unrelated case, another parent, described by the New Indian Express as a "hapless homeless man" that had been "staying on the streets" with his family sold his six-day-old infant for Rs 10,000 ($134.50 USD) on Friday, June 18.
As the man has no established residence, officers are still looking for him.
According to the report the woman that purchased the child told officers that she had contacted the mother and children near the station.
"I met her near Station Square recently and saw her child crying. She told me that her husband was threatening to throw away their child. As I and my husband do not have a child, I requested her to give her newborn to us for which she demanded money," the woman is reported to have told investigators.
She has been detained by investigators while the investigation continues.
While it is speculated that the father sold the infant in order to overcome financial hardship officials with Childline have requested that officers determine whether or not the father is a drug addict that merely sold the child in order to purchase more drugs.
The infant has been recovered and has been sent to Subhadra Mahatab Seva Sadan adoption center.