Late Mother Teresa's Order Investigated For Child Trafficking In India

India has ordered its state governments to inspect childcare facilities run by the Missionaries of Charity — the Roman Catholic order founded by Mother Teresa — following arrests of a nun and a worker accused of baby trafficking.

Earlier this month, Indian authorities shut down a shelter home for pregnant, unmarried women run by the order in Ranchi, a city in the eastern state of Jharkhand, after discovering that four infants had been sold, including one six-month-old boy who changed hands for 50,000 rupees ($730).

A nun, identified as Sister Koncilia, and a staff member, Anima Indwar, were arrested in connection with trafficking. According to The Times of India, Indwar confessed to selling the children.

At the time of the arrests, a dozen pregnant women were living at the shelter, according to Catholic News Agency.

CNA reports that one couple reportedly paid Indwar 120,000 rupees ($1,760) in exchange for a child, but that the she later took the child back without returning the money. The couple then went tipped off police, according to CNA.

India's NDTV cites an unnamed police source as saying all four babies were sold within the last year.

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/17/629681931/late-mother-teresas-order-investigated-for-child-trafficking-in-india?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180717