A young woman in Chouddagram upazila of Comilla, who was a victim of rape, gave birth to a child last Friday. On the same day, relatives and acquaintances of the accused youth forcibly snatched the newborn from the mother at a hospital. Following a police operation, the newborn was rescued and returned to the mother's arms on Sunday night.
Police have arrested four individuals in connection with forcibly taking the newborn from the mother and selling her. The arrestees include the mother and uncle of the accused youth, a nurse from a private hospital in Chouddagram, and a person involved in purchasing the infant.
Md. Lutfor Rahman, media officer of the Comilla District Police and Additional Superintendent of Police, confirmed the matter to Chitra Post around 8:00 PM on Monday. He stated that upon learning about the incident on Sunday night, the Detective Branch (DB) and Chouddagram police station jointly conducted a raid and rescued the newborn within four hours. The child is currently in the mother's custody, and a full investigation into the incident is underway.
The police official further noted that initial suspicions suggested the newborn might have been given away for adoption in exchange for 50,000 taka. However, during the rescue, a 100-taka non-judicial stamp was recovered, which documented the transfer of the newborn for 150,000 taka. Consequently, a case has been filed under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act.
According to the victim's family, the young woman's mother went to Dhaka on December 18 of last year to treat her ailing grandmother. During that time, the young woman was raped inside her own home, leading to her pregnancy. When the matter was brought to the attention of the accused youth's family, they allegedly attempted to cover it up. The family added that a local arbitration meeting was subsequently held, where the accused youth's family offered 300,000 taka to settle the matter.
