The newborn daughter of Abdur Rashid and Rokeya Begum in Dinajpur, who was sold to another couple to cover her father's medical expenses, has been returned to her parents.
The child's biological mother, accompanied by Md Moinul Huq, Acting Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Department in Dinajpur, visited the home of the adoptive couple in Kurigram.
Foisal Raihan, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Dinajpur Sadar Upazila, confirmed the matter.
The couple in Kurigram had been notified about the situation in advance. They returned to Dinajpur with the girl around midnight.
The payment collected in exchange for the child was returned to the family which adopted the newborn.
The girl was handed over to the childless couple on August 12, three days after she was born, in exchange for Tk37,000. Of the promised amount, Tk25,000 was paid while Tk 12,000 was to be paid later.
According to family members, the child's parents had to give her away as they could not bear the treatment expenses of her father Rashid.
Abdur Rashid, a day labourer from Katapara, Dinajpur, was shot during the anti-government protests while accompanying his pregnant wife for a routine check-up at Dinajpur 250-bed General Hospital on August 4.
As he stepped out to collect a ticket, violence erupted inside the hospital, and Rashid was shot multiple times.
Rashid initially received treatment at the hospital but left with his wife out of fear of further attacks.
When his condition worsened, he was admitted to M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital in Dinajpur on August 8, where he underwent surgery and was placed in the ICU. The next day, his wife, Rokeya Begum, gave birth to a baby girl at home.