Indian couple sells 8-month baby boy to buy iPhone for making reels

An Indian couple in Parganas district of West Bengal sold their 8-month-old baby boy to buy an expensive iPhone to create Instagram reels.

Reports also allege that the father attempted to sell their seven-year-old daughter too. The police rescued the baby and apprehended the mother and the woman who bought the infant, reported India Today on Friday.

Notably, while some media reports suggest that the baby’s father, Jaydev is still absconding, others have quoted local councillor Tarak Guha as saying that the police have apprehended the father of the infant.

“After selling the boy, Jaydev also tried to sell the girl on Saturday midnight. We inform the police as soon as we understood it. Police have arrested Jaydev,” Guha has been quoted as saying.

It may be noted that earlier it was reported that the couple had sold the baby to buy alcohol. Media reports had quoted locals as saying that the couple was frequently intoxicated, leading to severe quarrels within the family and with neighbours.

The incident came to the fore on Saturday, July 22, after some neighbours in the Panihati Gandhinagar area observed that the accused couple, who were struggling to make ends meet, suddenly acquired an iPhone. This coincided with the sudden disappearance of their baby raising doubts in the minds of the neighbours.

When questioned by neighbours, the couple initially falsely claimed that the child was with a relative. Suspicious of foul play, the neighbours alerted the local councillor, who promptly informed the police.

Later, when the police confronted the couple, the mother confessed that they sold the baby and used the money to travel to various parts of West Bengal to create Instagram reels.

Following this, the police rescued the baby from a woman in the Khardaha area in the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

The police revealed that accused Jaydev and his wife Sathi have two children- a daughter aged 7 and a son who is 8 months old. The couple sold the infant to a woman identified as Priyanka Ghosh, a resident of Rahra.

In a video shared by Daily O, the police can be seen taking away a lady who is holding a baby in her arms in a police van. Though the face of the woman is covered she appears to be Priyanka Ghosh who had bought the baby from the couple.

The police are investigating the possibility of a child trafficking racket being involved in the matter.

Meanwhile, the neighbours alleged that the couple had also tried to sell off their 7-year-old daughter. They further accused the couple of being addicted to drugs.

Local councillor Tarak Guha said, “After selling the boy, Jaydev also tried to sell the girl on Saturday midnight. We inform the police as soon as we understood it. Police have arrested Jaydev.”