Maha: Newborn girl’s mother, two aides held for cheating man through adoption fraud

Thane, Feb 13 (PTI) Three persons, including the mother of a newborn girl, have been arrested for allegedly cheating and extorting money from a man through a child adoption fraud in Maharashtra’s Thane district, a police official said on Monday.

The complainant has said he had two sons and wanted a daughter, and had spread the word about anyone seeking to give up their girl child for adoption, Zone I Deputy Commissioner of Police Jayant Bajbale told PTI.

“The complainant was approached this December by a friend who said an acquittance wanted to have his infant daughter adopted as his wife had left him after the child’s birth,” he said.

“The complainant gave his friend Rs 20,000 as maternity hospital expenses and waited for adoption documents. The child was soon taken back by the father. A man then called the complainant on January 5 saying he would have to pay Rs 2.5 lakh for completion of adoption documentation,” the DCP said.

Despite paying this amount, the accused continued to demand more money but were delaying completion of legal formalities connected to the adoption, which aroused the suspicion of the complainant, who approached police.

He also found out the couple was falsely claiming to be the parents of the child, after which Navghar police filed a case for cheating, extortion and other offences through fraudulent child adoption.

On February 10, two persons were held, while a woman, who was the mother of the child and was allegeldy involved in the fraud, was held some time later, the police official said. PTI COR BNM BNM

M