Agartala, May 25 : A three-day old baby girl who was reportedly sold by her monther due to 'extreme poverty' was rescued on Saturday and handed back to the woman, an official said.

Mormari Tripura (39) gave birth to a girl on Thursday at the Gandachara Sub-Divisional Hospital and the next day, she reportedly sold the infant to a couple for Rs 5,000.

According to reports, Mormari's husband reportedly committed suicide five months ago due to financial hardship.

She is the mother of five children, including the newborn.

Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury, immediately after learning about the incident, informed Dhalai District Magistrate and Collector Saju Vaheed A and Tripura Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha and sought their intervention.

The District Magistrate said the local authorities rescued the baby and handed it over to the woman on Saturday.

"The mother and the newborn are now at home in Gandachara. The woman has been facing severe poverty, especially after her husband's death. But it is not true that she sold her ration card and other documents to others," Vaheed A told IANS.

He said support is also being provided for the woman who requires assistance.

Chaudhury, criticising the BJP government, and the Tipra Motha Party-led Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), "for failing to provide necessary assistance and rural jobs to distressed people", said that the ministers of the state government, as well as the executive members of the TTAADC, were ignoring the basic problems of the people, especially the tribals.

"Explaining the serious economic situation and other problems of the rural and remote areas, I have written a letter to the Chief Secretary and requested him to arrange rural jobs under the MGNREGA. Also, I have requested to solve the other basic problems including water supply facing the people in the hilly, remote and rural areas," said Chaudhury, who is also the state Secretary of the CPI-M.

/IANS