Infant sold for Rs 70k by nurse, rescued; 5 held

Bareilly: A one-year-old boy was allegedly kidnapped by a nurse from a wedding in Budaun and taken to a relative’s house in Agra, where a “deal” to sell the infant for Rs 70,000 had already been struck, with Rs 20,000 paid in advance. The infant was rescued safely from Agra within 72 hours, and five accused, including the nurse, were arrested, police said on Monday.The child’s parents arrived from Sambhal for the wedding on April 16. That night, his mother stepped out to watch the wedding ceremony briefly leaving the boy asleep in a room nearby. But upon returning, she found him missing.Budaun SSP Ankita Sharma said, “CCTV footage showed a woman in a white dress carrying the infant away. She was identified as Khushboo, a nurse at a private hospital in Budaun. Teams were sent out to bring the child back.”Khushboo confessed to the crime, police said. According to cops, Munesh had arranged a vehicle to transport the boy, while Dinesh assisted in facilitating their deal. The child was found at Sonu’s house where his wife Babli was also present.Police said prima facie, the motive behind the crime stemmed from the couple’s wish for a child, which allegedly made them “buy the kidnapped infant”.