Faced with the challenge of supporting their newborn, they allegedly sought the assistance of a mediator who facilitated the transaction
OdishaPlus Bureau
In a distressing incident that underscores the dire conditions of poverty, a couple from the Rayagada district has reportedly sold their nine-day-old daughter for Rs 20,000 to a couple from the adjacent state of Andhra Pradesh.
The individuals involved, residing in Nuapada Colony within the jurisdiction of Chandili police, are parents to a three-year-old daughter and have been enduring significant financial difficulties. On November 3, the wife delivered their second daughter at the district headquarters hospital. The father, Rahul Dhanbeda, is employed as a truck helper, earning a meager monthly income of Rs 1,500. Faced with the challenge of supporting their newborn, they allegedly sought the assistance of a mediator who facilitated the transaction. “We lack a ration card to obtain free food grains. Our unstable financial circumstances compelled us to make this tragic choice,” Rahul stated.
The infant was reportedly sold to K. Chandra Sekhar and his spouse from Pedapenki village in Parvatipuram Manyam district, Andhra Pradesh. On November 11, Sekhar traveled to Rayagada and formalized the adoption of the child through a written agreement on court paper.
Local Anganwadi and ASHA workers became suspicious upon noticing the absence of the infant and subsequently alerted Child Line authorities. In response, members of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) initiated an investigation. “Upon visiting the family’s residence, we discovered that they had transferred the child to the couple from Andhra Pradesh through a stamped paper agreement.”
The parents, nonetheless, refuted any claims of having received financial compensation, despite our investigation uncovering a transaction amounting to Rs 20,000,” stated Nirakar Padhi, a member of the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU).
Initiatives are currently being developed to facilitate the child’s return to Rayagada. “We have reached out to the couple who currently has the child and requested their immediate return. Should they refuse to comply, we will pursue legal measures,” Padhi further remarked.
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