OUR CORRESPONDENT
SIVASAGAR: In a disturbing incident, a newborn baby boy was allegedly sold illegally by a family residing at Jayanagar, Joysagar in Sivasagar district. According to information received from District Child Protection Office (DCPO), Sivasagar, the mentally unstable unmarried daughter of Prabin Gogoi and Usha Gogoi, who live in a rented house in the area, gave birth to a child on June 22 at the Sivasagar Civil Hospital, Joysagar.
Immediately after the delivery, the hospital authorities alerted the District Child Protection Office (DCPO). On June 23, officials from the DCPO and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) visited the hospital to assess the condition of the newborn and the mother. During the visit, the child’s mother, grandmother, maternal uncle, and aunt were found present. The family was informed that due to the absence of the father’s identity and the family’s economic hardship, they might be unable to provide adequate care and protection for the child. As a result, the officials requested that the baby be handed over legally to the Child Welfare Committee for proper care.
However, the family declined the request, claiming they would raise the child themselves. Officials explicitly warned the family against selling the child under any circumstances, as it would constitute human trafficking, which is a punishable offence under the law.
Tragically, based on a confidential tip received on July 8, the DCPO and CWC launched an investigation and discovered that the newborn had, in fact, been sold illegally. The Gogoi family had since moved to a rented house in the Hatikhuk area. During an on-ground inquiry, the maternal uncle and aunt reportedly admitted their involvement in the incident.
Following this, the DCPO and CWC jointly lodged an FIR at the Joysagar police station, seeking legal action against both the sellers and buyers involved in the transaction. Based on the complaint, the police detained the child’s mother, grandmother, and aunt, along with two ASHA workers, for questioning. The investigation is going on, and efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the person who purchased the child.
Also Read: Assam: Newborn Sold for ₹75,000 in Sivasagar; Mother, Aunt & ASHA Worker Detained
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