In a shocking incident from West Bengal, a couple reportedly sold their 8-month-old baby to purchase an iPhone for creating Instagram reels. The bizarre story comes from West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.
The West Bengal police have successfully apprehended the baby's mother, identified as Sathi, and the woman who bought the baby, identified as Priyanka Ghosh. However, the baby's father, Jaydev, remains at large.
What happened
The incident came to light when the couple's neighbors noticed peculiar behavior and the absence of their 8-month-old son, prompting them to alert the police.
The neighbors observed the couple, who were struggling financially, suddenly acquire an iPhone, which coincided with their baby's disappearance.
Upon confrontation, the mother confessed that they sold the baby and used the money to travel to various parts of West Bengal to create Instagram reels.
Shockingly, reports also allege that the father attempted to sell their seven-year-old daughter.
An ongoing investigation is currently underway to delve into the case further. While instances of parents selling their children out of poverty have been seen in India, selling a child for an iPhone is indeed a dystopian reality.
Similar disturbing incidents
The West Bengal case is not the first time such a shocking incident has occurred. In other parts of the world, equally bizarre stories have emerged:
In 2016, a Chinese couple allegedly sold their 18-day-old newborn daughter for $3,530 to purchase an iPhone.
In a recent incident from March, an Australian court revealed a woman's desire to exchange her unborn child for an iPhone. This case came to light during the hearing of an unfortunate incident where she left her two daughters in a car for over 9 hours, leading to their tragic demise.