In a bizarre incident, a couple sold their eight-month-old baby boy in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district to buy an iPhone to shoot Instagram reels, police said on Friday. The police said that the mother has already been arrested while they are still looking for the father.
The incident came to light after locals of the Panihati's Ganganagar area near Kolkata, where the incident took place, got suspicious of the couple as they could not see the baby for weeks, and reported the matter to the police, a senior officer said.
"We have arrested the mother and started looking for the father who has been absconding after the incident was reported to us. The couple sold the infant to someone, and purchased an iPhone 14 to make reels (short video clips for social media)," he told PTI.
"The mother has also admitted that they spent the money that was earned by selling the baby to travel to places like Digha and Mandarmoni," he added.
The incident happened a month ago, but was reported to the police on July 24, the officer said. "We have started an investigation and are looking for the father," he said.
The mother is being interrogated, police said, adding that they are also searching for the couple who bought the baby. "We will also book them as this is illegal," the officer said.
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