In a first of its kind case, a six-month-old girl was sent to jail in Bihar.

The chief judicial magistrate in Bihar's Sasaram district, after consultation with lawyers and district administration officials, sent a six-month-old girl of an unwed mother to jail along with a woman accused Vimala Devi, who was not her mother, for safe custody.

"The court on Wednesday evening ordered to send the six-month-old girl to jail when it was found that there was no orphanage in town to look after her. The local police was also not ready to look after the baby," a court official told rediff.com over telephone.

"The court gave the order out of compulsion for the child's safe custody," the official said.

According to police sources, the six-month-old girl was born of unwed mother last year in a brothel.

Last October, the police raided a brothel in Baida near Sasaram on Grand Trunk Road, rescued a minor girl Rekha (name changed), an unwed mother, who had been forced into the flesh trade by a pimp Raju Paswan two years ago.

The owner of the brothel managed to escape with the then three-month-old child.

Later, police handed over the unwed mother to her parents in Balia distyrict of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Sources said police arrested the absconding brothel owner Vimala Devi and recovered the six-month-old girl from her possession.

After that, the police produced Devi in the court.

"The court sent the baby to jail till arrangements are made outside for her safe custody," sources said.