A shocking case has emerged from Ahmedabad’s Vatva area, where a 19-year-old woman has accused an acquaintance of taking away and selling her one-month-old daughter to recover a loan of ₹1 lakh. The complaint, filed with the Vatva police on Saturday, has triggered an investigation into the child trafficking incident.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant and her husband, an autorickshaw driver, had previously lived near the accused woman and shared a close relationship with her, considering her like a family member. The couple also worked at a restaurant located beneath the accused’s apartment in Hathijan, which further strengthened the bond between the two families.
Loan Taken to Buy an Autorickshaw
The complainant alleged that about four months ago, her husband borrowed ₹1 lakh from the accused woman to purchase an autorickshaw. Following the birth of their daughter on June 3, the accused began pressuring the family to repay the loan.
Around 20 days after the baby’s birth, the couple visited the accused’s residence, where she proposed waiving the outstanding loan and paying them an additional ₹2 lakh if they handed over their newborn daughter.
The mother told police that the accused assured them the baby would be adopted and raised by a financially well-off family, where she would receive a better upbringing. However, the couple rejected the proposal outright and refused to part with their child.
Baby Taken on the Pretext of Playing
The FIR states that the complainant was recovering from surgery after childbirth and was unable to cook or manage household work. During this period, the accused continued visiting the family’s home and even helped the complainant with household chores, further gaining the family’s trust.
About 10 days ago, the accused visited the couple’s home again and requested permission to take the baby for a few hours, saying she wanted to spend some time playing with the infant. Trusting the woman because of their long-standing relationship and believing she would return shortly, the parents handed over the child.
However, when the accused failed to return the baby by evening, the worried parents approached her. It was then, according to the complaint, that she informed them she had “sold” the baby to another family.
Accused Refused to Reveal Child’s Whereabouts
The complainant further alleged that despite repeated requests, the accused refused to disclose the identity, address or contact details of the family that had taken the child. She insisted that the baby would not be returned and repeatedly refused to tell the parents where their daughter was.
The FIR states that despite persistent questioning and repeated pleas from the parents over the following days, the accused continued to withhold information regarding the infant’s whereabouts, leaving the family distressed and helpless.
Baby Returned After Nearly 10 Days
Nearly 10 days later, the baby girl was returned to her parents. Although the child was reunited with the family, the mother, deeply traumatised by the incident, approached the Vatva Police Station and lodged a formal complaint on Saturday.
Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR and launched an investigation to verify the allegations, determine the circumstances under which the child was taken, identify the family to whom the baby was handed over, and establish whether offences related to child trafficking, kidnapping or any other criminal provisions were committed.
Authorities are recording statements of the complainant, the accused and other witnesses, while gathering evidence to ascertain the sequence of events. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.
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