The Odisha police on Sunday sent a team to Madhya Pradesh to trace two minor girls who were allegedly sold by their parents.
A couple, Manabhola Naik (45) and his wife Pravasini Naik (40), of Sambalpur town were accused to have handed over their minor daughters Jyoti (13) and Anjali (14) to unidentified persons in Madhya Pradesh for Rs.20,000. The couple’s eldest daughter had on Saturday lodged a police complaint in this regard.
“We have received a complaint regarding the sale of two minor girls by their parents. We have sent a four-member team to Damoh in Madhya Pradesh along with accused Manabhola Naik to locate the girls and ascertain what has really happened,” said S. K. Panigrahi, Additional Superintendent of Police of Sambalpur, on Sunday.
According to Pushpa Saha, the eldest daughter, they are six siblings and her father works as a house painter who is a drunkard.
Recently, the couple took their two minor girls and their 15-year-old son, Sanatan Naik, to Patharia town in Damoh on the pretext of marrying off two girls.
“When we reached Patharia, there was no marriage ceremony. Instead, my parents handed over one of my sisters to a person. I had seen my parents receiving Rs.20,000. There was no money transaction when my second sister was left behind,” Sanatan said, adding that he was beaten up when he protested it.
After they returned to Odisha, Sanatan described whole incident to his eldest sister.
Subsequently, he along with his sister filed a police complaint with the Town Police station in Sambalpur.
The two girls had been allegedly sold off by their parents for Rs.20,000
