NRIs have a hard time adopting a child. Maybe this is why

I was reminded of the excruciating process NRIs and OCIs undergo while reading a recent story “NRI woman, two others plotted to kill adopted boy”

People adopt children for different reasons. Some couples do it because they aren’t able?to conceive, while others do it for altruistic reasons. Regardless of the reason, adopting a child can be one of the most selfless acts a couple can do.

Adoption of children from India by Non Resident Indians (NRI) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) can be especially hard.?India has a lot of orphanages with destitute children but the legal system for adoption in India can be painfully slow, especially if the parents happen to be NRI or OCI and hold foreign passports, and intend to take the child out of India.?Adoption agencies, at least the genuine ones go by the letter of the law.?The excruciating wait can test the will of all but the most spirited prospective parents.

The?news account of the recent incident in Times of India goes on to describe:

The murder of a 12-year-old orphan boy, Gopal Ajani, on February 8 was the result of conspiracy hatched by a London-based NRI woman and two others to adopt the child first, insure him for a huge amount and then eliminate him to claim insurance.Investigation by Keshod police revealed names of NRI woman Aarti Dhir (53) and Nitish Mund (27), both natives of Gurdaspur in Punjab, and Kanwaljit Raizada, a resident of Keshod. Nitish and Raizada were studying together in London and were sharing a room there. Aarti was their neighbour and works in a watch showroom. The trio had been hatching this conspiracy since 2015 when they met in London, said Ashok Tilva, police inspector.

“After the adoption formalities of Gopal were completed, they had taken a life insurance of Rs 1.30 crore for the boy. The insurance money was to be shared among the three in proportion to the premium they contributed. They had also paid two premiums of Rs 13 lakh each,” Tilva told TOI.

What makes humans commit such ghastly acts for money is beyond comprehension. Stories like these, when done in the backdrop of noble act of adoption is all the more heart wrenching. It?makes one empathize with the bureaucracy put in place to safeguard interests of adoptees.