GUWAHATI: The Goalpara district police of Assam arrested two people for the alleged sale of infant twins on Wednesday, July 31.
The arrested have been identified as Kushal Talukdar, a government employee in the education department and father of the twins and Ronuka Kalita, a mid-day meal cook, who acted as a broker for the sale.
Based on a report by NeNow, Amitava Basumatary, additional superintendent of police, Goalpara on Thursday, August 1 said that they have arrested both the accused in connection with the case no. 454/19 under IPC Sections 372/373/211 and Sections 80/81 of Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act 2015.
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He also mentioned that the accused were produced before court and both of them have been sent to judicial custody. The police are now inquiring into other aspects of the case.
Based on reports, Rupa Talukdar, Kushal Talukdar’s wife gave birth to twin boys on June 19 at a private hospital in Goalpara town.
One of the twin boys was handed over to a childless couple in Guwahati who was in touch with the family through the broker, Kalita since Rupa was six months pregnant. While the other twin boy was handed over to a couple from Lakhimpur town in West Goalpara.
The incident came to light when a local youth who donated blood for Kushal’s wife found out about the delivery of the twins and their sale. The youth noted that he was shocked to learn of this as he was told that the latter had undergone a surgical operation and was urgently in need of blood.
The youth then filed a complaint with the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) office in the third week of July.
A DCPU officer stated that they immediately began an investigation after visiting the hospital where the twins were born and after questioning the biological father of the children. The couple was ordered to surrender the babies before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). Thus, on July 22, both the infants were surrendered to the CWC in front of their biological parents.
The twin boys have now been placed under the Bongaigaon district-based state adoption authority designated home for 60 days based on the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act 2015. If they are not reclaimed by their biological parents in this time period, they will be declared free for adoption, according to a member of Goalpara CWC.
It should be noted that the sections levelled against the accused could land them a sentence of a 10-year jail term.
(Inputs Northeast Now)