The confessions came from employee Anima Indwar and Sister Konsalia, who were arrested by Jharkhand Police on July 4 and 5 for their alleged involvement in the racket.
The alleged baby-selling racket at Ranchi's Missionaries of Charity (MOC) Nirmal Hriday home has taken a new turn after videos of a nun and another employee admitting to selling three babies and giving the fourth one for free was released by the police on Saturday.
The confessions came from employee Anima Indwar and Sister Konsalia, who were arrested by Jharkhand Police on July 4 and 5 for their alleged involvement in the racket. MOC headquarters in Kolkata said action is being taken to find out the truth behind the charges. It had also said that MOC stopped putting children up for adoption three years ago.
In the confessional videos, which have been accessed by Zee Bihar Jharkhand and DNA, Sister Konsalia admits that three of the children were sold while one was given away. Upon being asked about the whereabouts of the babies, she said, "I don't know. We will have to check the file for the details."
"I came to know that a baby, delivered in May, was missing when the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) came to check," she says, "We found out that the baby had been sold off by a staffer. On inquiry, they told me that Rs one lakh had been taken in return but now I am told that it was Rs 1.20 lakh."
"When I initially asked the staff (Indwar) about the baby, she did not want to tell me anything," says Sister Konsalia, "It was only when I kept pressing for details that they told me the baby had been sold for Rs one lakh. When I asked about the money, she said that Rs 10,000 had been given to the guard while Rs 90,000 was given to a sister. She said she didn't take any money."
Konsalia says she informed higher authorities about the matter and said that the baby should be brought back.
Indwar admitted she had sold three children. "A couple from Uttar Pradesh, who adopted the child, paid Rs 1.20 lakh. The deal was finalised through the guard," Indwar said and denied Sister Konsalia's presence during the transaction. She also said that the baby's unwed mother was also involved in the deal.
The videos were released a day after Jharkhand Police came under attack from the Roman Catholic church and others for conducting a "biased investigation".
The police have traced three of the four babies; the search for the fourth one, which was given away, is on. A police source said that Indwar has furnished a handwritten note to the cops in which Sister Konsalia asked her to take the blame on herself.
The matter came to light on July 3 when the UP couple approached Ranchi's CWC to complain that a baby boy, who was given to them on payment of Rs 1.20 lakh, was taken back. The CWC lodged a complaint with the police and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das also ordered a probe by Jharkhand State Child Protection Commission.
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi visited the Nirmal Hriday home in Ranchi on Saturday and interacted with the sisters. He alleged "media trial" of the case and said, "The MOC has rendered service to the society for many years. The government should conduct a direct probe instead of issuing statements to the media."
The Case
Sister Konsolia says she was unaware of the ‘baby-selling’ deals and found out about it after a CWC check. Police say staffer Anima Indwar has given them a note in which the nun urges her to take the blame.
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