SRINAGAR: An India Today investigation has found “unscrupulous elements offering Covid orphans for sale.”

Children who lost their parents to the pandemic might be falling prey to illegal adoptions, and possibly trafficking, the report said.

The report claimed an NGO in Kashmir called Global Welfare Charitable Trust run by Asrar Amin, offered Covid19 orphans to a India Today’s reporters for Rs 75,000, a child, Rs 1,50,000 for a pair.

“We have so many orphans with us. But if one wants a Covid orphan, there’s no problem,” he said. “Kashmiri children are really beautiful, Mashallah!”, the report quoted Asrar as saying, adding, “I am not taking this money for myself. It’s for my trust.”

Asrar, India Today reported was willing to offer the orphans without any paperwork.

“You must be adopting a child for some reason. There’s no need for paperwork in that situation. But if you still insist, you can do it,” he was quoted as having said.

On being asked by the reporter if any problem were to arise tomorrow, he replied, “That’s my headache. I’ll handle. I’ll say you never met me. I don’t know you,”

The India Today investigation also found another NGO operator, Aijaz Ahmad Dar of Nobel Foundation from Pampore offering newborn Covid orphans. Some of them reportedly lifted from hospitals for adoption.

Dar told India Today reporters, “Suppose there’s a newborn. We’ll get that baby lifted right away.”

Dar talked about having taken some doctors in confidence. “We’ll take some gynaecologists, some MD (qualified doctor), whom I know, in confidence. We’ll ask them how much money they would want if there’s a death.”

“We’ll talk to them to give us any orphan who has lost his/her mother. We’ll tell them not to send the baby to any orphanage but give it to us. We’ll update. God willing, we’ll have a child whose parent died from Covid,” the India Today reported him as saying. Dar talked about being in touch with at least 500-600 orphans from eight to ten years of age and demanded Rs 10 lakh for such children.

The media group, however, did not offer any details if the two groups mentioned in the investigations have sold any child, so far, or not. The two groups mentioned in it, at the same time, have not reacted to the investigation, so far.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here