Baby sale incident   – four  arrested

By Akshya Rout

Jajpur ;  Police in Jajpur district  arrested  four  persons including an Anganwadi worker  on Sunday on charges of  their involvement in an infant girl  sale  incident  recently.

 Struck by penury, the father  Natabar Behera of village Sanarayapada village under  Dharmasala police station  in Jajpur district , allegedly sold  his two day old girl to a childless couple Kailash Barik   his wife  Sasmita Barik of Mahakalapada village  for Rs 12000 on Saturday.

“Acting on a tip off, police launched an investigation and arrested  the childless couple , an Ananganwadi worker and her brother. All the four accused are identified as  Kailash Barik   his wife  Sasmita Barik of Mahakalapada village in Kendrapara district  , Pravasini Das an Anganwadi worker and her brother Deepak Das of  Bharatpur village under Balichandrapur police station in Jajpur district.

The baby was rescued from the possession of the accused Kailash Barik and his wife Sasmita Barik  on Sunday.   Natabar Behera  had sold his  newborn baby girl to a childless couple through the mediation of Pravasini Das  the Anganwadi worker and her brother Deepak Das .

The police recovered Rs 12,000 from their possession. The police handed over the baby, who was sold to the childless couple, to the District Child Welfare Committee for proper care of the rescued child.  Natabar  is the father of three children  and his wife    is a paralysis patient  , said Rakesh Tripathy, the IIC of   Dharmasala police station.  

 All the four  accused persons were booked section- 370 (Buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and   under Section 81 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (Sale and procurement of children for any purpose), added the police officer.