A mother and her partner have been arrested by Dharmapuram Police for allegedly selling a two-year-old girl for Rs. 40,000, while a woman accused of purchasing the child has also been taken into custody.
Police said the arrests were made following a complaint lodged by the Dharmapuram Grama Niladhari, who alleged that the child had been sold to a woman in the Colombo area.
During questioning, the suspects reportedly claimed they sold the child to obtain money for medical treatment for the girl’s four-year-old elder sister, who is suffering from thalassemia.
Police further stated that the mother had allegedly used Rs. 15,000 from the money to purchase a mobile phone. When questioned over the purchase, the suspects had reportedly failed to provide an explanation.
The arrested mother and her partner, aged 27 and 31, are residents of the Dharmapuram area. The woman alleged to have bought the child is a 37-year-old resident of Avariyawatta, Katunayake.
The two women and the male suspect were produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court and remanded until April 29. (Newswire)