Udupi: In a shocking incident, Shirva police have arrested three people, including a doctor and a woman running a paying guest facility, in connection with a child selling racket. The case came to light after suspicious adoption practices were reported in Shirva, Udupi district.
Accused identified
The arrested persons are Dr Somesh Solomon from B.C. Road, Vijayalakshmi alias Vijay, who manages a paying guest house in Mangaluru, and Navneet Narayan (25), accused of raping the victim, police said.
Superintendent of Police Hariram Shankar informed that the trio was produced before the court and has been remanded to judicial custody.
How the racket was exposed
Prabhavathi and Ramesh Mulya, residents of Kallugudde in 92nd Heroor village, had been childless for years. They expressed interest in adopting a child through their relative Priyanka, who introduced them to Vijayalakshmi.
At the time, the unmarried daughter of a worker at Vijayalakshmi’s paying guest house was four months pregnant. Vijayalakshmi, along with Dr Somesh, allegedly assured the couple that they could obtain the child after delivery.
Investigations revealed that the accused replaced the woman’s Aadhaar card with Prabhavathi’s during medical scans, thereby attempting to establish false maternity records before birth.
On August 3, the woman delivered a baby girl at Coloso Hospital, Mangaluru, through a caesarean section. The infant was reportedly sold to the couple for ₹4.5 lakh, SP Shankar confirmed.
Victim impregnated after rape
Police further discovered that the woman, who has mental health issues, was raped by her acquaintance Navneet Narayan, leading to the pregnancy. Both she and her mother had been working at Vijayalakshmi’s facility.
After childbirth, the victim was allegedly denied proper treatment. Authorities later traced her, re-admitted her to a hospital, and provided necessary medical care.
Wider racket suspected
SP Shankar stated that Vijayalakshmi was allegedly involved in selling illegitimate and unadoptable children in a similar manner. She is also said to be active in multiple organisations and manages a hospital canteen in Mangaluru.
The investigation is being led by Karkala Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada.
Case came to light through Anganwadi
The incident surfaced when Prabhavathi and Ramesh Mulya took the baby girl to a local Anganwadi centre to register her in the Poshan Tracker four days ago. The worker, knowing that the couple had no children, grew suspicious.
When questioned, the couple claimed the child had been obtained through a Mangaluru hospital. This prompted the Child Protection Committee to lodge a complaint at Shirva police station, which led to the arrests and unearthing of the entire racket.
Conclusion
The case has sparked outrage in Udupi district, with calls for stricter monitoring of adoption procedures and child protection measures. Police are probing whether more people are linked to the racket.