Child sale case in Shirva: Durga Vahini leader among three arrested
Udupi: In a shocking case, Shirva police have arrested three people, including a Durga Vahini leader, for selling a newborn baby that was delivered by a rape survivor.
According to police, the arrested persons are Dr. Somesh Solomon, a doctor from B.C. Road; Vijayalakshmi alias Vijaya, a Durga Vahini leader who also runs a paying guest facility in Mangaluru; and Navaneet Narayan (25), accused of sexually assaulting the young woman who later became pregnant.
Prabhavati and Ramesh Moulya, a couple from Kallugudde in Shirva who were unable to have children, had expressed their desire to adopt. Their relative Priyanka introduced them to Vijayalakshmi, who then offered to give them the baby of an unmarried woman working at her PG accommodation.
Police investigations revealed that Vijayalakshmi and Dr. Somesh conspired to sell the child after delivery. During medical check-ups, they allegedly used Prabhavati’s Aadhaar card instead of the pregnant woman’s, in order to later claim the baby as Prabhavati’s own.
On August 3, the woman delivered a baby girl via caesarean section at Colaso Hospital in Mangaluru. The infant was then handed over to Prabhavati and her husband in exchange for ₹4.5 lakh, Udupi SP Hariram Shankar confirmed.
Further investigation uncovered that the young woman had been sexually assaulted by Navaneet Narayan, leading to her pregnancy. The survivor, who reportedly has mental health issues, was kept along with her mother at Vijayalakshmi’s PG facility.
Police said the woman did not receive proper postnatal care after her caesarean delivery, and they had to intervene to ensure she was admitted again for treatment.
SP Shankar also revealed that Vijayalakshmi has links with several organisations and runs a hospital canteen in Mangaluru. There are also suspicions that she has been selling other children born under “unwanted or illegitimate circumstances.”
The case came to light when Prabhavati and her husband tried to register the baby at an Anganwadi center through the Poshan Tracker. Staff grew suspicious since the couple had no biological children. A complaint was lodged with the Child Protection Committee, which led police to investigate.
The three accused were produced before court and remanded to judicial custody. Meanwhile, Prabhavati, her husband, and their relative Priyanka have also been questioned but not taken into custody.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada of Karkala is leading the investigation.
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Pak, Afghan forces trade fire along Chaman border: Report
Islamabad (PTI): A heavy exchange of fire between Pakistani and Afghan forces was reported from the key Chaman border, according to a media report on Saturday.
Injuries were reported from the district hospital, but no fatalities occurred, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Officials from both sides accused each other of instigating the flare-up late on Friday night across the border in the Balochistan province.
While Pakistani officials said that Afghan forces had fired mortar shells on the Badani area, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed it was Pakistan that launched an attack on Spin Boldak, alleging that their forces were responding.
Pakistan's official sources told Dawn that Pakistani forces retaliated against the Afghan aggression and returned fire.
There were also reports of fighting on the Chaman-Kandahar highway, but these could not be immediately verified.
A senior official in Quetta confirmed on condition of anonymity that the exchange of fire started around 10 pm and continued until late at night.
The medical superintendent of Chaman district hospital said that three injured, including a woman, were brought to the medical facility.
There was neither any official word from the Inter-Services Public Relations -- Pakistan Army's media wing -- nor from the Foreign Office.
The Chaman border crossing, also known as Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan’s Kandahar.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated amidst regular allegations by Pakistan regarding the failure of the Afghan regime to deny safe havens to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan terrorists.
The two countries had agreed on a ceasefire following tensions last month, but the Foreign Office said last month that technically there was no truce as it was contingent on the Afghan Taliban stopping terrorist attacks in Pakistan, which they had failed to do.
