It was a routine affair for Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity to sell babies. However, the issue became evident as there were multiple complaints of extortion and smuggling of babies since 2014. 

Missionaries of Charity’s centres in Ranchi were flourishing in the business of smuggling babies by systematically working alongside the local police.

It is only recently that the local government has started collecting old complaints so that the gravity of the crime can be established.

2014

According to the sources, in 2014, a complaint was filed by a couple with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) regarding alleged extortion for adopting a child. But when the probing team tried to enter the premises of an adoption centre situated at East Jail road, on 3 January 2014, the staff of Missionaries of Charity didn’t allow them.

Later, then CWC chairman wrote to almost half a dozen of state government officers to probe the matter, but nothing happened.

2016

Once again, allegations were levelled against Missionaries of Charity centres in Ranchi but this time by the Special Branch of Ranchi Police. In its report, the Special Branch claimed that kids were on sale in these charity centres and they even fudged the data. 

The report also claimed that Missionaries of Charity hid data of 98 pregnant women and only 10 children were presented for adoption in 2016. 

Women were asked to sign a document written in English, claiming that the mother will not have any right over the new born baby, stated the report.

However, no action was taken.

2018

In July 2018, CWC told the local police about a missing child from a Ranchi-based shelter home, which was being run by Missionaries of Charity. Later, police arrested a nun who allegedly sold a baby to a businessman based in Uttar Pradesh for Rs 1 lakh. 

It was also found that there was no data of 24 babies. Following investigation, it was revealed that out of 24 missing kids, four babies were sold to different people by two nuns. Three of them have been recovered by the police.

Funds under scanner

Missionaries of Charity have been receiving an average of Rs 91 crore fund every year for the last ten years under Foreign Contribution (regulation) Act. 

According to sources, the functioning body of the charity of the Kolkata region, which has three states Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, receives 917 crore and 64 lakh rupees alone under the FCRA act. 

Now, the Jharkhand government is planning to transfer the matter to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

On Wednesday, Jharkhand DGP sought to freeze the bank account of Missionaries of Charity and wrote to home secretary. According to information, the Centre is likely to probe the foreign funding.