Mother Teresa shelters investigated after children sold

New Delhi : Several homes run by a religious group founded by Mother Teresa are to be investigated after a nun was arrested over allegations that youngsters in their care had been sold.

The Indian government has ordered an immediate inspection of every shelter run by the Missionaries of Charity, which is based in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state in the east of the country.

It comes following the arrest of nun Anima Indwar and a care home worker, who were taken into custody amid claims that several infants had been sold, with one couple having allegedly paid 120,000 rupees (BD660).

The case came to light after local child welfare authorities informed police about a newborn missing from one of the homes, which were set up to care for people Mother Teresa described as “the poorest of the poor”.