Date:19/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071955830800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Parents shocked over child swapping racket

K.M.Dayashankar

Swadhar to return children after adoption formalities

— Photo: R.Raju

Raw deal: A woman with her adopted son at Swadhar where children rescued from the child swapping racket were kept in temporary custody.

KARIMNAGAR: Emotional scenes were witnessed at Swadhar, a home for the destitute women in Karimnagar town where the six rescued children were kept for temporary custody, with the parents crying inconsolably along with their adopted children on account of separation due to the exposure of child swapping racket and arrest of main accused Sameena and her mother in Medipalli.

During a visit to Swadhar on Wednesday, all the children were playing in their adopted mothers’ lap innocently. The women said that they do not know anything about the child swapping racket.

“Is it a crime to adopt a child who had been orphaned because of negligence of his parents? In turn, we are providing a new lease of life to these infants. For God sake please do not separate us,” wailed the adopted parents of children, who have been rescued by Medipalli police from the child swapping racket in Karimnagar district.

Vanitha of Korutla town says,“I am childless since 20 years of marriage and decided to adopt a girl. Sameena gave me a three-day-old girl for adoption for Rs 15,000. We named her Rupasri and were living happily in our house. She had become 10 months old now and we were planning to celebrate her first birthday on a grand scale.”“God had given us everything but not children,” said Bhagya of Satharam village of Mallapur mandal who purchased a newborn for Rs 1.5 lakh and named him Ravi. “What is the use of life when there is no child in a house? We cannot live without our boy,” she cried.

Narsaiah, the father of a boy, came all the way from his village in Ibrahimpatnam mandal. Hehugged his adopted son and was seen crying inconsolably. “I cannot live without my son. His entry into our house has transformed us and living happily,” he wailed.

Swadhar resident superintendent Parveen told The Hindu that they would act as guardians of the rescued children and give them back to their adopted parents after completing the formalities for legal adoption.