Probe leads to 2 children bought for Rs. 7,500 each

By Pushpakumara Jayaratne

Kurunegala baby-selling racket

Police have unearthed more details surrounding the racket in the sale of babies of unmarried mothers in the Kurunegala area, leading to the detection of at least two children-aged 8 months and 4 months- who had been sold.

The recipients of the children claim they paid up to Rs. 7,500 each for the babies, but police believe that the figure would have been much higher.

The racket was unearthed following a tip-off about unmarried pregnant women being housed in what was called a “Medical Centre’ and the new-born babies being sold without proper records.

Police are currently investigating whether any of the babies could have been smuggled out of the country as they suspect that some of them may have been sold to foreigners.

Based on the investigations and records at the ‘Medical Centre’ located close to the Kurunegala town, a couple and another woman whose husband is abroad and who had paid for the babies were arrested.

Kurunegala Headquarters Chief Inspector Anil Priyantha is directing the investigation with the assistance of Inspector Sujeewa Wijesena and Sub Inspector L.S. Lakshman .

The people who had bought the children claim they had taken over the babies at the Kurunegala and Kegalle hospitals, without proper documentation after making payment.

These pictures (above and below) show the two children, who are now in the care of the police

The woman whose husband is abroad claimed that they had filed papers in courts seeking adoption of the child, but while the case was pending she had been arrested.

In the other case the couple claimed that since they had married some time back and had no children they had decided to adopt a child.
“We were introduced to the “medical centre’ and were told that if we pay some money we could get a child. Therefore we paid Rs. 7,000 and took the baby away three days after the birth at the Kegalle hospital,” the woman said.

She said they were not aware that the child had to be obtained legally till the police questioned them.

Police said they believe that the two hospitals had also assisted in these two instances as there were no records available about the person who had admitted the pregnant women.The main suspect behind the medical centre, a former doctor who had been previously charged for sexually assaulting a woman and performing abortions, is evading arrest.

Meanwhile, police say they are being threatened and even being offered money to halt the probe.