TUMAKURU : The Town police here rescued an 11-year-old girl who was sold to a duck rearer at Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh for Rs 35,000.
She was forced to work as a bonded labour at a farm belonging to Sriramulu, who rears and trades in ducks. The police said the girl’s parents, Kumar and Chowdamma, residents of Dibburu area here, had sent their daughter to her aunt Sujatha’s home at Hindupur a couple of months ago to take care of the latter as she had given birth.
The parents alleged that Sujatha, Chowdamma’s younger sister, and her husband Shankar had cajoled the girl to go with them. They later allegedly sold the girl to Sriramulu for Rs 35,000 against the loans they had borrowed from him in the past. Sujatha’s in-laws too were allegedly involved in the deal. “Sriramulu could have intimidated them to repay the loan and taken away the girl,” sources said. All those involved in the case, including the accused, are relatives and had financial transactions with each other, they added. The incident came to light when Chowdamma, who was worried that her daughter had not called her over phone for the last few days, went to Sujatha’s home recently. She met Sriramulu and asked him to return her daughter, but he refused. She returned to Tumakuru and approached Labour Inspector Tejavathy, who in turn alerted the police. A police team rescued the girl and is in search of the accused. “It’s not a case of child trafficking per se. But we have booked the accused and will take action against them,” Superintendent of Police Ashok KV told TNSE.