Khordha district Collector Niranjan Sahu on Thursday visited the residence of the labourer couple, who allegedly sold three sons for money, in the Press Colony slum area of the State capital city.
The Collector, who conducted a spot inquiry into the incident, however, remained silent on his findings. “The inquiry is not complete. After its completion, you will be informed of the findings,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile the city’s Kharavel Nagar police, who are also investigating the case, detained the accused Shyam Chandra Rao, his wife Pramila Rao and the couple of Samastipur in Bihar Ranjit Choudhuri and Chandini Choudhuri who bought one of the three children and the mediator in the case.
It may be mentioned that the matter came to light after Rulina Patra, counsellor of Ruchika Childline, Bhubaneswar on Wednesday lodged a complaint at the Kharavel
Nagar police station seeking necessary steps to rescue all the three children allegedly sold by their parents for money.
Patra in her complaint said Shyam Rao and his wife Pramila, both daily wagers who stay in the Press Colony slum, are the biological parents of seven children. Two of them are dead and three, all sons, have been sold to different persons in the past to earn money.
The couple sold their 22-day-old third son for Rs 6,000 to Ranjit Choudhuri and his wife Chandini of Samastipur in Bihar recently, Patra said in her complaint.
Their first son had been sold to a person who lives in Kolkata and the second was sold to ine who lives in Odisha, Patra added. The complaint report was lodged following an order from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Khordha.
“We have requested the police to recue all three children soon and produce them before the CWC for suitable order and to take necessary legal action against the couple for the criminal act of selling their children,” Patra said.
The Rao couple, however, said they sold their sons not for money but in order to ensure their children’s long and happy life.