It’s a case where destitution drove a woman to sell her body, soul and her three-year-old baby too. However, when the baby was rescued, the police decided to reunite the mother and the baby since jailing the woman would mean the baby would be orphaned again.
Reshma alias Rekha, 30, sold her three-year-old daughter for Rs5,000 and became a prostitute just to support her lover, Venkatesh, who was jailed for 12 years for killing his wife over a domestic feud.
Chikkaballapur district police rescued the baby and reunited her with the mother. However, the police have decided not to initiate penal action against the mother since her detention could orphan the child.
The incident came to light when Venkatesh, a life convict, was released on parole to meet Reshma and his daughter. To his shock, the baby was missing. Reshma then confessed that she sold the baby some time ago.
Venkatesh then filed a complaint and the Gudibande police rescued the baby. Reshma told the police that extreme poverty and need of money to support the family drove her to take this extreme step.
Reshma, who has a son from her first marriage, met Venkatesh when he was released from the prison on parole. The duo even lived together for some time. A few months after Venkatesh returned to prison, Reshma gave birth to a baby girl and named her Nagalakshmi.
Reshma had to discontinue working at a garment factory since she had to nurse her baby. Unable to meet the daily expenses, she began borrowing money from neighbours and friends.
Sex workers Shahina and Shahtaj, who lived in Reshma’s neighbourhood, noticed her plight and coaxed her into the flesh trade to earn money. They assured that they would help her in the trade.
Reshma, who was in dire need of money, not only agreed to get into prostitution, but also decided to sell her daughter since she could not solicit customers if she had to nurse the baby. Reshma sold Nagalakshmi to a childless couple for Rs5,000 a fortnight ago and joined Shahina and Shataj in soliciting customers on national highway 7.
Venkatesh managed to get another parole and met Reshma and discovered that the baby had been sold. Acting on his complaint, the police rescued the child and handed her to Reshma.
The police arrested Shahina and Shahtaj on the charges of abetting prostitution.
“It’s a very rare case. Though it’s a serious crime, I could not arrest Reshma, who is an accused in the case, for the reason that the child will be orphaned again if we arrest Reshma and book a case against her,” said Gudibande police inspector Sharath Kumar.
Instead, Reshma has been given a stern warning not to resort to such activities. Also, the police are trying to help her secure a job where she can earn a living to support her daughter, he added.
