Toddler rescued in Patuakhali after alleged sale for Tk 1 lakh to buy iPhone

A one-and-a-half-year-old child was rescued in Patuakhali's Dashmina upazila yesterday (30 August) night after allegedly being sold to another person for Tk1 lakh to buy an iPhone.

The child, Musa, was rescued from a house in Romanathsen village of Alipur Union in a joint operation by the upazila administration and police, according to UNB. Dashmina Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Atiqul Islam said the child was later handed over to his grandparents, Mofiz Munshi and Mahfuza Begum, in the presence of Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Mahmud Hasan Mridha.

The allegation was supported by a written agreement made on a Tk100 non-judicial stamp, authorities said.

The child's father, Md Maruf of Boro Gopaldi village under Betagi-Sankipur Union, admitted receiving money after handing over his son but claimed that the child had been given for adoption, not sold.

Maruf later admitted his mistake and apologised, according to authorities.

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

The incident came to light after Maruf reportedly left home with Musa around 8am on Saturday (29 August), telling his mother that he was taking the child to the market. When the two did not return for a long time, family members began searching for them.

The family later contacted Maruf's maternal uncle, Bahadur Mia. According to the family, Maruf initially did not disclose the child's whereabouts but later confessed that he had handed Musa over to Imran Hossain of Romanathsen village.

Maruf reportedly told his family that he received Tk1 lakh for handing over the child and spent the money on an iPhone.

Police and the upazila administration rescued Musa from Imran's house on Sunday night. Further legal action in connection with the incident is expected, authorities said.