Bihar couple arrested for child trafficking in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore

A couple from Bihar living in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district were arrested for selling off an infant for Rs 2.50 lakh to a farmer, police said.

Based on a complaint, child rights officials initiated an investigation to find out whether the accused, Mahesh Kumar and Anjali, were involved in selling the infant. The accused were living in Appanayakanpatti in Sulur and running an eatery.

The officials filed a formal complaint with Karumathampatti Police, who then arrested the couple on June 3 and discovered that the baby was sold off to a farmer identified as Vijayan.

Mahesh and Anjali had sold a 15 day old child to Vijayan for Rs 2.50 lakh, and they had also sold a baby girl to a couple in Andhra Pradesh last month.

During the investigation, Anjali's mother Poonamdevi and her sister Megakumari were brought to Coimbatore for questioning. It was found that infants were bought in Bihar and sold for Rs 2.50 lakh.

Following the questioning, Anjali's mother and her sister and Vijayan were arrested on June 7.

According to the Investigation Officer, two cases were filed against the accused and five people, including the couple from Bihar, were arrested.

"We will know if anyone else is involved only after further inquiry. The baby boy is two days old and the infant girl is one month old," the officer said.