Missionaries of Charity Nun Arrested for Selling Infants in Ranchi

In this file photo, students from the Archdiocese of Calcutta take part in a walk for peace against human trafficking. CNS

Sister Koncilia, a nun at Missionaries of Charity's Nirmal Hriday home in Ranchi, was arrested on July 5 for allegedly selling infants born to unwed mothers. The Missionaries of Charity was set up by Mother Teresa.

The home in Jharkhand provides shelter for pregnant unmarried women.

"They have said that at least five to six babies have been sold to childless couples," police officer Aman Kumar told Thomson Reuters.

Ranchi SSP Anish Gupta said, "We have also got the details of three children who were sold by them to different couples. We are in the process of verifying their addresses."

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) on July 6 expressed shock at the incident.

"We are completely shocked by what happened at our home in Ranchi," read a statement from CBCI.

The statement further said the organization "will take all necessary precautions that this kind of incident will never happen again".

"It should never have happened. It is completely against our moral convictions," it added.

Arti Kujur, head of the Jharkhand State Child Protection Society, said the organization was charging between 40,000 rupees and 100,000 rupees for each baby, depending on what the childless couple could afford.

At present, the authorities have sealed the home.