Agartala: A four-month-old baby boy was rescued in Tripura after reports emerged alleging that his mother, facing extreme poverty, sold him for Rs 4,000. 

The incident took place in the Basumati Tea Estate in Sepahijala district and attracted swift action from local authorities after a viral social media post.

The situation came to light when Partha Prathim Majumder, CPI(M)’s Bishalgarh sub-divisional committee secretary, shared a Facebook post alleging that the mother, a tea estate worker, had sold her baby out of desperation. According to Majumder, the woman has four children and was struggling to provide for them alone.

As the video post went viral, the administration swung into action with the help of the child line, and sent personnel to the hutment where the woman lives, officials said.

During the course of the investigation, the baby was found with a couple from Udaipur in Gomati district, they said.

“We rescued the child and returned him to his mother on Wednesday night. The administration has not received any complaint that the child was sold by his mother. It appears the woman is separated from his husband who is also a tea garden labourer. It is also true that her husband was missing when our team visited the place,” Additional SDM of Bishalgarh Debjani Chowdhury told PTI.

She said the woman’s family received a house under PM Awas Yojana, besides a family ration card, but she lives in the hutment inside the tea garden with her four children.

“We will extend financial and other support to the woman,” she said. 

(With PTI inputs)