FAISALABAD: Razaabad police are working to find relevant laws to try two women taken into custody for an alleged trade of a newborn girl.

Razaabad Station House Officer Imran Younus said they were alerted on Sunday that a man and a woman had snatched a newborn from Rafia.

Her husband Aslam, who recently arrived from Saudi Arabia, got registered a kidnap case under Section 363 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

When the police interrogated Rafia, it emerged the infant had gone to her biological parents.

Rafia, of Rahim Yar Khan, told police she had “bought” the baby from Sadaf Bibi, of Razaabad, for Rs40,000 as she had failed to conceive in her 18 years of marriage with Aslam.

Sadaf received half of the agreed money but after five days of the deal she could not bear the pain and got back the baby.

Police said Rafia, who was in her sister Safia’s house, after “buying” the baby had informed her husband Aslam that God had gifted her a baby girl. He immediately returned to Pakistan to see the bundle of joy.

The SHO said Rafia had pretended to be pregnant and giving birth to the girl to retain the property of her husband.

He said Sadaf told police she had sold her daughter to battle poverty and for the bright future of the newborn as Rafia was a rich woman.

Sadaf has four children -- three daughters and a son -- and her husband is a daily wager.

Rafia says she took the step as her in-laws would taunt her for her infertility.

Police said they arrested both women and sought legal opinion for further proceedings.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2014