Aurangabad: Couple Sells Infant Thrice as Allied Blenders Plans Rs 125 Cr Distillery
Police in Aurangabad rescued a one-month-old infant after his parents sold him for Rs 1.2 lakh to fund a smartphone and jewellery purchases, and the baby had been resold twice more before authorities intervened. Separately, Allied Blenders and Distillers approved a Rs 125 crore capital contribution to its subsidiary Minakshi Agro Products for a new malt distillery in the city, signalling significant industrial investment. A tragic hill accident in Sambhajinagar drew further attention when a family of three died falling into a gorge amid financial stress tied to iPhone EMI payments.
Parents Arrested After Selling Month-Old Baby Three Times for Rs 1.2 Lakh
A deeply disturbing case of child trafficking emerged in Aurangabad district when police arrested a couple for selling their one-month-old infant son for Rs 1.2 lakh — money reportedly used to buy a smartphone and jewellery. Investigators discovered that the baby had changed hands a total of three times before authorities received a tip and launched a rescue operation, ultimately recovering the child in reasonably good health. The case drew widespread condemnation and raised serious questions about poverty, desperation, and the vulnerability of infants in under-resourced communities across the region. Local child protection agencies and non-governmental organisations were mobilised to ensure the child's welfare and to investigate whether a wider trafficking network was operating in the area. Police registered cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Juvenile Justice Act against the biological parents and individuals who facilitated or participated in subsequent transactions. Officials stressed that the repeated reselling of an infant constituted an egregious breach of child rights and that the investigation would be pursued rigorously. Community organisations in Aurangabad called for stronger awareness campaigns and better outreach from government welfare departments to families under financial stress, to prevent similar tragedies in the future. [1]
🏢 Allied Blenders Approves Rs 125 Crore for New Malt Distillery in Aurangabad
Allied Blenders and Distillers' Management Committee approved a capital contribution of Rs 125 crore to its wholly owned subsidiary Minakshi Agro Products for the construction of a malt distillery with a capacity of three million bulk litres per annum in Aurangabad. The decision represents a significant expansion of the company's manufacturing footprint in Maharashtra, which already hosts a substantial share of India's alcohol production industry. The new Aurangabad facility is expected to support growing demand for malt-based spirits, as consumer preferences shift toward premium and semi-premium liquor segments. Industry analysts noted that the Rs 125 crore outlay signals long-term confidence in the region's industrial infrastructure and availability of agricultural inputs required for grain-based distillation. Allied Blenders, known for its Officer Choice whisky brand, has been actively expanding production capacity across multiple states to keep pace with rising domestic consumption. The Aurangabad project is anticipated to generate local employment and contribute to district tax revenues, providing a manufacturing boost at a time when industrial investment in tier-two Maharashtra cities has been a government priority. Regulatory clearances and construction timelines were pending announcement at the time of the report, but the board approval marked a firm financial commitment to the project. [3]
Family of Three Dies in Sambhajinagar Gorge Amid iPhone EMI Financial Stress
A family of three — both parents and their teenage child — perished in a tragic accident in Sambhajinagar, the official name for Aurangabad, after falling into a deep gorge in the hilly terrain of the region. Reports indicated that financial pressure related to EMI payments on an iPhone may have contributed to the circumstances surrounding the fatal outing, with the family understood to have been under considerable economic stress in the period preceding the accident. Authorities launched a search and recovery operation after the bodies were found, and officials confirmed no foul play was suspected, treating the deaths as an accidental tragedy. The case attracted widespread media coverage, in part because of the detail about the iPhone EMI — a detail that resonated with social commentators who noted the broader tensions between aspirational consumer spending and financial vulnerability in middle- and lower-middle-class Indian households. Observers pointed to easy consumer credit, high-cost gadgets, and inadequate financial literacy as compounding pressures on families striving to meet lifestyle expectations, sometimes with severe consequences. Local communities expressed grief over the loss of the young family, and several voices called for greater mental health and financial counselling resources to be made available in semi-urban areas where such stresses are acutely felt. [6]
🗳️ SIR Exercise Finds Over 6 Lakh Voters Unverifiable in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District
The ongoing Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district — the administrative name for Aurangabad — revealed that more than six lakh registered voters have been placed in the uncollectible pool, meaning election officials were unable to physically verify their residential details during door-to-door survey exercises. This large unverifiable category represents a significant administrative challenge for election authorities trying to reconcile registered voter names with verifiable residential addresses across the district's urban, peri-urban, and rural constituencies. Election Commission officials acknowledged that the size of the uncollectible pool reflects rapid population mobility, incomplete address documentation, and difficulties reaching voters in dense informal settlements and newly developed areas on the city's expanding periphery. Civic activists warned that the uncollectible pool, if not resolved before the rolls are finalised, could contribute to either widespread disenfranchisement of legitimate voters or to electoral irregularities if absent individuals remain on the rolls. Officials from the district election office indicated they would intensify outreach and coordinate with local ward-level bodies to reduce the uncollectible count and ensure the voter database accurately reflects the adult population of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ahead of future state and national elections. [7]
Sources: [1] The Times of India · [3] Sahi · [6] NDTV · [7] The Times of India