Indian couple sold baby to buy iPhone for Instagram, say police
- The mother apparently said the pair wanted to use cash made from selling their eight-month-old son to travel and create online content on app
- West Bengal officers were alerted after residents became suspicious about a brand new phone, with the region having areas of high poverty
Police in West Bengal, India, said a couple sold their baby to pay for an iPhone, according to The Indian Express.
The mother said the couple wanted to use the money made from selling their eight-month-old son to travel and create content for Instagram, according to an unnamed senior police official, per the newspaper.
Police were alerted after local residents raised suspicions that the couple had just bought a brand new phone, the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate official said, per The Express.
The World Bank notes that West Bengal has pockets of high poverty, which might have accounted for the suspicion. According to a 2022 PRS Legislative Research report, the region’s GDP per capita – an indicator of income – was roughly US$1,600, just a little more than the price of a brand-new iPhone 14 in the country at the time.
The couple in question has been identified as Jaydev Ghosh and Sathi, the police official said, per The Express.
Police said they sold the baby to Priyanka Ghosh, who lives in the same region, The Express reported.
