Adopted woman uncovers unsettling truth about Pastor George and adoption scandal in Denmark

In January, Lea Aigner Vilhelmsen received a phone call at her home in Hvide Sande, Denmark. A colleague inquired if she had seen the documentary series about a pastor in India involved in adoption fraud, referring to “The Great Adoption Theft.” At the time, Vilhelmsen had not viewed it but felt compelled to ask, “You don’t mean Pastor George, do you?”

Vilhelmsen arrived in Denmark from India in 1979 at just three months old, having been adopted by a Danish family in Southern Jutland. She grew up in this loving household and only later discovered that her biological mother had spent many years trying to reclaim her. Vilhelmsen’s idyllic upbringing contrasted sharply when she learned that Pastor George, the director of the Madras Christian Children’s Home in India, was responsible for her adoption.

After watching the documentary, Vilhelmsen recognized Pastor George and began to comprehend her connection to the adoption scandal. Stories of Indian parents who lost their children to this pastor struck her profoundly, especially one mother’s plea to reclaim her baby in Denmark.

In 2001, she received letters from the Danish authorities containing her biological mother’s desperate messages, revealing the extent of her mother’s struggle to bring her back. Despite feeling immense gratitude for her adoptive family, Vilhelmsen reflected on the grim reality of her adoption, stating, “I feel like I am something that has been traded.”

Currently, the Madras Christian Children’s Home is closed, and Pastor George has passed away. An investigation into the adoption practices from this institution is pending, amid growing concerns over transparency and accountability in international adoptions.