Mansa, Oct 25: A drug-addict couple from Akbarpur Khudal village in Punjab’s Mansa district allegedly sold their five-month-old son to a family in Budhlada town for Rs 1.8 lakh to buy drugs, officials said. The shocking case surfaced after the infant’s maternal aunt approached the police, pleading for the child’s recovery.
Police sources said the 19-year-old mother was once a state-level wrestler but fell into addiction after marrying her husband, also a drug user. The couple, who met on Instagram, now live in poverty, cooking in a makeshift kitchen on the verandah of their house.
“They used the money to buy drugs, some household goods and reclaim a mortgaged motorcycle,” said the village sarpanch’s husband. “We tried to convince them to give up drugs, but they refused to listen.”
District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Harjinder Kaur confirmed the incident, saying both families signed an “adoption letter.” “We have verified the exchange from reliable sources. Our teams are gathering more details,” she said.
