Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Outrage gripped Loliem-Polem after locals accused a woman of brutally assaulting her four-year-old adopted son, prompting allegations of a wider human trafficking racket disguised as illegal adoption.
Residents gathered outside the Canacona police station, demanding a full investigation into the suspected child abuse and trafficking case. They alleged that the boy, who had been adopted by a couple from Polem with three daughters, was subjected to repeated cruelty, leaving him with facial bruises and a dislocated shoulder. The child is currently undergoing treatment at Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim.
Led by social activist Tara Kerkar and Congress leader Janardhan Bhandari, the villagers claimed that the adoption was illegal and part of a cross-border trafficking operation between Goa and Karnataka. They alleged that children were being trafficked and sold for as much as ₹6 lakh per male child, and that the injured boy was one such victim.
The complaint further stated that the woman’s husband, who works abroad, was also complicit in the abuse.
Canacona Police Inspector Harish Raut Desai confirmed that an inquiry was underway. “The assault appears to have taken place in Curchorem, outside our jurisdiction. However, we are exploring every angle, including the possibility of earlier abuse, before deciding on filing an FIR,” he said.
Police have questioned the child’s mother, uncle, and other relatives as part of the ongoing investigation.
The case has triggered widespread concern over unregulated adoptions and the possible existence of a child trafficking network operating across the Goa-Karnataka border.
