15-month-old boy sold for Tk30,000 rescued in Bagerhat

A 15-month-old boy allegedly sold for Tk30,000 in Morrelganj of Bagerhat has been rescued following the intervention of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO).

The child, Alamin, was rescued from Mongla on Friday and handed over to his mother, Anika Akhter, at the UNO’s residence. The incident took place at Barikhali village of the upazila on Wednesday evening.

According to Anika, she married Hasan Chowdhury while working at a garment factory in Chattogram about two years ago. Their son Alamin is now 15 months old. She said her husband stopped maintaining contact with her and their child a few months after the marriage, leaving the family in severe financial hardship.

Anika also said she had been suffering from a serious illness and was unable to support her son. “I am sick and unable to feed my son. In my helplessness, I handed him over to another person, hoping she would be the better care than me,” she said.

According to officials, the child was handed over to Nurjahan Begum, wife of Shahidul Mia in Mongla, through Halima, a neighbour of Anika’s family.

The child was reportedly handed over in exchange for Tk30,000. However, Halima allegedly collected Tk60,000 from Nurjahan for arranging the handover of the child.

After learning about the incident, Morrelganj UNO Md Habibullah intervened and ordered officials to rescue the child from Mongla.

The Tk30,000 reportedly paid for the child was also deposited with the UNO. The UNO said there was no legal scope for selling a child in such a manner.

“For now, the child has been handed over to his mother along with financial assistance. Later, necessary action will be taken after scrutinising applications from those who legally wish to adopt the child,” he said.