Kottayam: Three people have been arrested, including the father of a two-month-old boy, for allegedly attempting to sell the infant at Kummanam here on Sunday.

The arrested have been identified as Khuddus Ali (25), of Nagaon in Assam; Dhanish Khan (32); and Nanhe (31)- both hailing from Uttar Pradesh, police said.

According to police, Ali, the father of the child, was allegedly trying to sell his son to Khan and Nanhe on Sunday morning. "It was the child's mother who first informed the residents of her husband’s attempt," a police officer said.

A resident told reporters that the mother revealed an attempt was made to sell the child for ₹50,000 to settle debts. "The family lives near our house. The mother first told my wife about the attempt. She said the men from Uttar Pradesh, who work in Errattupetta, had come on Saturday to take the child, but she resisted," the resident said.

The neighbour added that Ali had not been going to work and had borrowed money from several people. "The buyer has three daughters and wanted a son. He and the middleman had been staying in the locality for the past few days to get the child. It is learnt that the father was given ₹1,000 as an advance," he added.

Following the tip-off, police rushed to the spot, conducted a preliminary investigation, and took the three men into custody for detailed questioning, the officer said.

After interrogation, a case was registered against the trio, and their arrest was recorded, police added. "Khan wanted to take the child to Uttar Pradesh, while Nanhe acted as the middleman," a police officer said. "We have also recorded the statement of the child’s mother. The couple has another child, aged five," the officer added.