NEW DELHI — A nun and a charity worker were accused this week of selling a baby at a shelter for unmarried mothers in eastern India run by an organization founded by Mother Teresa.

The police said Thursday that they had arrested the two women, who worked at the Missionaries of Charity-run shelter in Ranchi, the capital of the eastern state of Jharkhand.

The police said the shelter worker told them she had sold three other children at the home in Ranchi in recent months. The two were charged with illegally selling a child and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

“Both the women confessed,” Amish Gupta, the police chief of Ranchi, said by telephone, adding that they had been taken into custody.