Locals of Mancherial town in Adilabad district foiled an attempt of a young couple in their 20s to sell their 3-month old baby girl to a childless couple on Thursday.

Police said the couple, Atram Akbar and Maheshwari, belonging to the Venkatapur village in Kashipet mandal of Adilabad district, were on the verge of finalizing a deal to sell the baby to a childless couple for an amount ranging from Rs.1.3 lakh to Rs.1.5 lakh.

Mancherial DSP Y Vijay told journalists that locals suspected the intentions of the couple moving around in a locality in a suspicious manner and informed the police. The locals even thrashed Akbar before the arrival of police.

Vijay said they first suspected the couple to be agents for selling the kids but later came to know they are the parents of the baby. He further said the villagers sent the couple out of their village as they fell in love despite being cousins and started living together.

Maheshwari delivered the baby three months ago in the town and wanted to sell the baby with the intention of starting a business and return to their native village, said Vijay.

“We have not registered a case as we found them to be the biological parents of the baby and not agents. We counseled them and sent them to their native village with a warning not to try to sell the baby,” he said. (JUBS)