Three arrested for girl trafficking

"Those arrested from Mohana area of Gajapati were identified as Kuldip Payal (28) of Sandawa in Bhiwani district of Haryana, Prema Naik and his wife Rama of Paipada village," Inspector in-Charge (IIC) of Mohana police station Binay Kumar Minz said.

The victim girl, who hails from Kuipada village near Mohana, is now 19-year-old and is the mother of three children, he said.

The girl was taken to New Delhi by the accused couple on promise of getting her a job around six years ago with the consent of her parents. The couple had engaged her as a domestic help.

After a year, the accused couple allegedly sold her to Kuldip for Rs 90,000, the police said.

Apart from sexually expoliting her, Kuldip engaged the girl in household and farm work. She had given birth to two daughters at his house in 2008 and 2011, they said.

The episode came to light when the victim managed to flee from the place along with her two children (a son was born after her return to Mohana) from Haryana in November and informed the district administration about her plight.

District Labour Officer (DLO) M L Nayak and police jointly inquired into the trafficking of minor girls to outside the state to be engaged as child labourers. Police registered the case against the trio on the basis of the FIR lodged by Nayak.

Kuldip came to the girl's house about a week ago and claimed her to be his wife. He wanted to take her back along with the children. When she refused, he asked her to return the Rs 90,000 with which he had bought her.

However, Kuldip and the couple were arrested yesterday, police said.