CHIKKAMAGALURU: A Hakki Pikki woman from Mallenahalli village in Chikkamagaluru taluk has been accused of selling her 20-year-old daughter in Senegal, West Africa, for monetary gain. Police registered a suo motu case against the woman, while the daughter has since been rescued.
According to a Hakki Pikki forum, the family frequently travelled to African countries to sell traditional herbal products and often took the daughter along. The forum alleged that during one such visit, the woman sold her daughter to a person in Senegal in exchange for money. After her parents returned to Chikkamagaluru, the young woman was allegedly confined and subjected to torture.
The Karnataka Hakki Pikki Budakatu Sanghatane said the woman was rescued by local police in Senegal with the assistance of the Indian Embassy. She is currently in Senegal and is expected to return to India within the next one or two days.
Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Dayama told TNIE that leaders of the Karnataka Hakki Pikki Budakatu Sanghatane submitted a written complaint to the SP’s office, seeking action against the accused. Based on the complaint, Chikkamagaluru Women’s Police registered a suo motu case.
Victim recorded, sent videos to kin
The accused is being questioned by police. The SP said the rescued woman is expected to return to India within two or three days, after which her statement will be recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Before being rescued, the young woman reportedly recorded videos alleging that she was being tortured and subjected to abuse. The videos were sent to her family and later went viral on social media. Sanghatane president R Punit Kumar said the organisation were coordinating efforts to bring the rescued woman back to India.