Patuakhali man 'sells' 18-month-old son to buy iPhone

A man has allegedly sold his one-and-a-half-year-old son, Musa, for Tk1 lakh to buy an iPhone in Dashmina upazila of Patuakhali.

The accused, Md Maruf, is the son of Mofiz Munshi of Boro Gopaldi village under Betagi-Sankipur Union of the upazila. He works as a carpenter.

The incident took place on Saturday morning in the Munshibari area of Boro Gopaldi village under Betagi-Sankipur Union of the upazila.

The child's grandmother Mahfuza Begum said Maruf asked her to dress Musa around 8am on Saturday. He then left home, saying he was taking the child to the market.

When Maruf and Musa did not return for a long time, family members started searching for them in different places.

At one stage, the family contacted Maruf's maternal uncle Bahadur Mia. The family said that, during questioning, Maruf initially did not disclose anything about the child.

Later, according to the family, Maruf confessed that he had sold Musa to Imran Hossain of Romanathsen village under Alipur Union of Dashmina upazila for Tk1 lakh to buy an iPhone.

The family also claimed that Maruf went to Dhaka with the money he received from selling the child and bought a new iPhone by exchanging his old iPhone.

Mahfuza Begum said Maruf married a young woman named Brishti from Savar in Dhaka about four years ago. Musa was born about three years after their marriage.

She said that about a month ago, Brishti went to her father's house following a family dispute with Maruf. Maruf stayed at home for a few days and later went to Dhaka. He returned home on Friday evening.

"On Saturday morning, Maruf told me, 'Maa, dress your grandson. I will take him for a walk in the market.' Later, I could not find my son and grandson. After searching for them, I came to know that Maruf had admitted to selling Musa for Tk1 lakh to buy an iPhone," Mahfuza said.

"I want my grandson back and am seeking cooperation from the administration," she added.

Meanwhile, Imran Hossain, accused of buying the child, told reporters over the phone that Maruf had been talking about giving his son for a long time.

Imran said his father-in-law has five daughters but no son. He claimed that he discussed the matter with Maruf and took the child in exchange for Tk1 lakh through a written agreement.

He later said he handed the child over to his father-in-law's family.

Local residents said Maruf had married a woman from Savar several years ago and brought her to his village home. They said the couple later had various family disputes.

They demanded that the child be rescued and returned to his family as soon as possible and that legal action be taken against those involved in the incident. 

Dashmina Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Atiqul Islam said police are working to rescue the child and further legal proceedings are underway.