Ranchi: The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights shot a letter to Jharkhand chief secretary Sudhir Tripathi to investigate into the functioning of all shelters on Saturday amid allegations of child sale racket against the functionaries of Nirmal Hriday, the shelter run by Missionaries of Charity here.

Chairperson of SCPCR Arti Kujur said she sought an action taken report from the government after the inquiry.

As the baby-buying controversy raged on, another minor girl who had been a rescued inmate at Nirmal Hriday delivered a healthy male baby at 10pm on Friday night at Ranchi Sadar Hospital.

Authorities of Ranchi district Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Ranchi district welfare department were present when the baby, weighing around 2.5kg, was born.

"The male infant is hale and hearty. So is his mother. CWC will take care of them because CWC is their custodian. Baby will be produced before CWC as part of legal formalities. Several processes are involved. It depends upon the mother, if she wants to keep the baby or give him up for adoption," said CWC chairperson Rupa Verma.

All minor inmates of Nirmal Hriday, including this girl, had been shifted to state-run shelters on July 4 when the baby sale racket surfaced.

Kotwali OC S.N. Mandal, who is probing into charges of a newborn boy, born to another unwed mother of Nirmal Hriday, was sold to a childless couple from Uttar Pradesh, said the couple who bought the baby were also violators of law and would face an FIR.

"Saurabh Kumar Agarwal and wife Priti claimed they paid Rs 1.2 lakh to an employee of Nirmal Hriday to get the baby of an unwed mother. The boy had been born on May 1 at Ranchi Sadar hospital and Agarwals took him on May 14. They paid the sum to shelter employee Anima Indwar. The Agarwals are guilty of violating adoption rules. Sale and purchase of babies attract Section 370 of IPC as this is human trafficking. Sister Koshleniea of Nirmal Hriday was also part of this racket," Mandal said.

The deal was allegedly brokered by one Madhu, a lady security guard at Ranchi Sadar hospital, he said.

Koshleniea and Indwar were arrested last week. However, Madhu is still free.

OC Mandal said Indwar confessed to selling off three new born babies in the past. "We are trying to locate these missing children and couples who purchased them," he said.

Inspection in steel city

East Singhbhum SSP Anoop Birtharay on Saturday formed a team of district child protection officer Chanchal Kumari, Mahila thana in-charge Seema Kumari and Sitaramdera OC Lallan Kumar to check records at Nirmal Hriday in

Baradwari. The team will submit its fact-finding report to the SSP on Monday.