Dhaka: A one-and-a-half-year-old child, allegedly sold for Tk 1 lakh in Dashmina upazila, was rescued on Sunday night. The rescue took place at a house in Romanathsen village of Alipur Union, led by a joint initiative between the upazila administration and police, as stated by Md Atiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Dashmina Police Station.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the child, named Musa, was handed over to his grandparents, Mofiz Munshi and Mahfuza Begum, in the presence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mahmud Hasan Mridha. The authorities confirmed the allegation after discovering a written agreement on a Tk 100 non-judicial stamp.
The accused, Md Maruf from Boro Gopaldi village under Betagi-Sankipur Union, admitted to taking money after handing over his son. However, he claimed that the transaction was for adoption purposes, not a sale. Maruf later admitted his mistake and apologized for his actions.
The incident unfolded on Saturday morning when Maruf asked his mother to dress Musa around 8 am before leaving home, stating he was taking the child to the market. When they did not return for an extended period, family members began searching for them.
In their search, the family contacted Maruf's maternal uncle, Bahadur Mia. Initially, Maruf did not disclose any information about the child's whereabouts. Eventually, under family questioning, Maruf confessed to selling Musa to Imran Hossain of Romanathsen village in Alipur Union of Dashmina upazila.