Drug Addiction Leads to Unthinkable Crime in Punjab Village
In a shocking incident that highlights the devastating impact of drug addiction in Punjab, a young couple from Mansa district allegedly sold their three-month-old son to finance their drug habit. The case has exposed the grim reality of how substance abuse is destroying families across the state.
The infant was sold for approximately ₹1.80 lakh in September, with the money being used to purchase household items and drugs, particularly chitta, a dangerous intoxicant. The child is currently in a shelter home while the Punjab and Haryana High Court examines his custody situation.
Four Arrests Made in Child Trafficking Case
Police have arrested both biological parents along with the couple who claimed to have "adopted" the child. All four are now in judicial custody. The case came to light after a video of the mother went viral last month, where she openly discussed her drug addiction and admitted to selling her son.
The FIR was registered on October 25 based on a complaint from the baby's aunt, who had grown attached to the child. SHO of Bareta, Mela Singh, confirmed that a case of child trafficking has been filed and the matter is now before the court.
The heartbreaking details emerged from the village in Mansa district, where the 58-year-old grandfather revealed that his son had been selling everything he could find to support his drug habit. "He didn't leave a thing," the elderly man stated, not realizing his grandson would become the ultimate casualty.
High Court Intervention and Legal Complexities
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has taken serious note of the case, hearing it through a PIL and demanding an urgent report on the child's condition and custody arrangements. The court has specifically questioned why the infant wasn't kept with his mother, indicating the complex legal and humanitarian dimensions of the case.
During a hearing last Tuesday, the state government requested additional time to file its detailed response. The court's intervention underscores the gravity of the situation and the need for proper procedures in such sensitive matters.
Mansa district alone has recorded 761 drug-related cases this year, with 1,137 arrests made. The seizures include heroin, opium, ganja, narcotic pills, and numerous cough syrup bottles, painting a bleak picture of the drug epidemic in the region.
From Kabaddi Champion to Drug Addict
The tragic backstory reveals that the young mother was once a promising kabaddi player who represented her government school at the state level. Her family claims she never used drugs and was focused on sports and studies until about two-and-a-half years ago.
Her life took a dark turn when she connected with her partner through Instagram. Within months, she left her family home to live with him. When she became pregnant, both entered a de-addiction center, but relapsed soon after returning.
The woman's sister provides a different perspective, suggesting that the couple didn't actually "sell" the child but gave him away following a priest's advice. "The child was sick and, instead of a doctor, he was taken to a local pandit," she explained. The priest allegedly told them their son was possessed by a spirit and wouldn't survive if he stayed with them.
The "Adopting" Couple's Defense
The couple who took the child are in their 40s and already have three daughters. A close friend of theirs revealed that he suggested the adoption after seeing the biological parents "out of their senses" with their weak-looking child lying nearby.
"The family was so happy. Now everything has turned upside down," the friend lamented. A relative of the adopting couple claimed that when they took the child, he was "very sick and weak" but had become "completely healthy" under their care.
The two families had signed an affidavit certifying the adoption but didn't register it with a magistrate as required by law. The lawyer who prepared the affidavit claimed it wasn't possible to legally register the adoption since "no one can legally give away their first child."
Broader Implications and Humanitarian Concerns
Social worker and teacher Jasvir Singh Khudal, who knows both families, appealed for a humanitarian approach. "The law is important. But the government should take a humanitarian approach. Both families have been affected, and this situation is only adding to their misery."
The baby's aunt says her sister is now full of remorse and claims to have quit drugs. "She says she has quit drugs and wants her son back, she wants to raise him... We only want my sister and her son to come back to us."
As the legal process continues, this case serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Punjab's drug crisis and the desperate measures addiction can drive people to take, even at the cost of their own children.
