Parents of the nine-day-old baby, Ashok and Sandhya, decided to sell him as they needed the amount for the treatment of their ailing elder son, police said today.
The baby was sold to Vinod and his wife Shakuntala, who have claimed they wanted to adopt him but could not follow the proper legal process, Shrawan Das, inspector at the district anti-human trafficking branch, said
The fifth accused, Madhu, was acting as their mediator.
After taking the boy, Vinod made a payment of Rs 20,000 and declined to pay the remaining amount following which Ashok approached the police yesterday.
The five were arrested last evening and released on bail, he said, adding that the baby is currently in the custody of his parents.
