Minor girl sold for $420 by aunt to landlord in India's Andhra Pradesh

In abizarre yet equally horrific news from the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, an 11-year-old girl who was allegedly sold by her aunt to settle a Rs 35,000 ($420) loan has been successfully rescued by the police. The minor's mother had sent her to her aunt's house in April during the summer vacation when the incident transpired.

The minor wasrescued by theTumakuru city police in Hindupur on Wednesday (Jul 10) and brought back to her hometown, according to a report in Hindustan Times. The girl's aunt had sold her niece to the landlord, identified as Sriramulu, for the said amount.

“The minor girl was sent to Hindupur to her aunt’s house in April for vacation as she was studying in the fourth standard. The aunt promised her sister that she would take care of the girl but allegedly sold her,” Tumkur district labour officer, K. Tejawati told the publication.

The landlord held the girl hostage and forced her to do work around the house. It was only when the mother visited the town in the last week of June that she discovered that her sister had sold her daughter.

The mother, Chaudamma, pleaded toSriramulu to release her daughter but the landlord refused to do so. Instead, he demanded repayment from the mother stating he had bought the girl.

AfterChaudamma approached Tejawati, the latter penned a letter to the Superintendent of Police, who ordered the town police to act on the matter.

The aunt, her husband and the landlord have been arrested and charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

“We have booked Sujatha (30), her husband Shankar (35), and landlord Sriramulu (40) under IPC Sections 137 (kidnapping) and 140 (wrongful confinement) and rescued the child from Sriramulu’s house. We launched an investigation and will take appropriate action soon."

Previous incidents

In July last year, a couple in the eastern state of West Bengalsold their eight-month-old baby for 200,000 Indian rupees or $2,400. The incident only came to light after the couple's neighbour raised the alarm.

According to reports, the couple was struggling to make ends meet and sold the baby to raise funds.Soon after, the police were informed and the baby was rescued from a lady in the Khardah area. The lady, Priyanka Ghosh, had also been arrested by the police.

In May, earlier this year,police in Hyderabad busted an inter-state child trafficking racket gangwhere babies would be sold to childless couples inTelangana and Andhra Pradesh for anywhere between Rs 1.8 lakh ($2,155) and Rs 5.5 lakh ($6,590).

(With inputs from agencies)