A woman staffer has been arrested and two others, including a sister-in-charge, detained for allegedly selling a child born to an inmate of a shelter home, run by Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity, at Jail road here, a police officer said.

Anima Indwar, a woman employee of Nirmal Hriday, was apprehended based on a complaint filed by Rupa Verma, the chairperson of Child Welfare Committee's Ranchi unit, Kotwali police station officer in-charge Shyamanand Mandal said.

"One person was apprehended yesterday in connection with the shelter home case. Another arrest is also likely. We are investigating into the allegations," Mandal said.

In her complaint, Verma said that a couple from Uttar Pradesh's Shone Bhadra district had approached the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) after Nirmal Hriday allegedly took away the child it had earlier given them on May 14.

The couple apparently told Verma that they paid Rs 1.2 lakh on May 1 to get the boy's custody.

Talking to PTI, the chairperson of Ranchi CWC said, "The UP-based family claimed that Anima Indwar, who handed over the child to them on May 14, had called them up on July 1 and asked them to visit the shelter home for completing certain formalities. When the child was brought to the home, Indwar took the boy away."

Verma also clarified that Indwar had called up the couple a day after the CWC carried out a surprise check at Nirmal Hriday, which provides shelter to unwed mothers, and seized important documents.

"The couple, with no help in sight, knocked our doors for help. The boy is in custody of CWC at present," she said, adding that a baby-selling racket has been operating from the shelter home for some time.