Odisha: Infant girl rescued from Cuttack after being sold by parents to repay debt

Bhadrak: A day after an elderly woman accused her son and daughter in-law of selling their one month-old daughter in Bhandaripokhari area of Odisha's Bhadrak district, police rescued the infant from Cuttack on Tuesday.

Acting on the complaint by the child's grandmother, a team led by Bhandaripokhari IIC Rajalakshmi Nayak conducted a raid and successfully rescued the infant girl from the Rajabagicha area of Cuttack. The rescued child has been admitted to the Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital, where she is currently undergoing medical treatment. The child will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) today, where a decision will be taken regarding her custody—whether she will be handed over to family members or placed under alternative care.

Police said the child was allegedly sold by her parents to repay mounting debts. Her father, a resident of Bayabanapur village in Bhandaripokhari, was unemployed and had borrowed thousands of rupees from multiple sources. Unable to repay the loans within the stipulated time and facing pressure from villagers who had lent him money, the couple allegedly took the extreme step of selling their one-month-old daughter for ₹35,000 to a close relative—identified as the child’s paternal aunt—residing in Cuttack.

Financial distress led parents to take drastic step

The case came to light after the infant’s grandmother lodged a complaint with Bhandaripokhari police. As per her statement, on Monday around 9.30 am, the child’s parents left home claiming they were taking the baby for medical treatment. However, when they returned home around 8 pm, the infant was missing.

When the grandmother questioned them about the baby’s whereabouts, the parents allegedly abused and threatened her with physical harm. The grandmother further stated that the child’s maternal grandmother was also staying in the house, and she suspected that the parents, along with the maternal grandmother, had conspired either to sell the baby or cause her harm. During interrogation, the parents reportedly confessed to selling the child to repay their debts. The child’s mother stated that since the relative had no children, they sold their daughter to her for ₹35,000.

Also read: Odisha: Harassed by parents for opposing infant brother's trafficking, minor girl consumes poison in Balasore