New Delhi: The shocking news came from West Bengal, where a minor girl reached a blood bank after traveling 30 km to sell her blood and buy a smartphone.
During the interrogation, he gave contradictory reasons, even pretending that he died to his parents. But she eventually admitted that the girl admitted that she had ordered a smartphone worth ₹9,000 and needed the money to pay for it. A minor girl from Dakshin Dinajpur district in West Bengal came to Balurghat District Hospital to sell her blood.
However, the hospital management explained to her that it does not work that way and ensured that she was handed over to her parents after an agreement had been made.
As soon as the hospital’s blood bank staff came to know about the matter, they handed over the Class 12 student to Childline India, an NGO that runs a helpline for children in distress. The 17-year-old girl, who lives in South Dinajpur’s Tapan area, told officials that she recently ordered a smartphone online and thought she could get money for it by donating blood at the hospital.
When she told the blood bank staff that she wanted to donate blood for money, the hospital staff informed the NGO. The blood bank staff were shocked to hear the minor’s suggestion and explained to him that it doesn’t work like that.
Concerned about his health, he had the minor sit down and informed the consultant from the hospital. Rita Mahto of Childline told NDTV: “Someone must have told her that if you do this, you will be able to buy a phone. He struggles with the problem of depression. We will take it before the Child Protection Committee (CWC). Then we can decide where to send to improve it.”
Kanak Das, a consultant at the Balurghat hospital, told NDTV that “A minor girl came to the hospital today. First she told us she wanted to have a blood test done. When asked why she wanted to get a blood test done, we found her inconsistent and informed the Balurghat Children’s Helpline.”
They came here and took her to his office. The girl kept giving different reasons like education or that her parents died or that her parents are alive. After that, the minor girl told us that she had booked a mobile phone online and needed money.
After receiving the information, the staff of the children’s line took the minor into custody and informed his parents. The girl told Childline that her father is a vegetable seller. The girl had a simple phone. On Sunday, he ordered a smartphone worth Rs 9,000 online from a friend’s mobile phone as it had broken a few days ago.
The girl’s father said: “I don’t know what happened and when I got here I found out that she wanted to buy a mobile phone by selling her blood. He struggles with depression and will likely undergo further counseling and treatment.”
