Nalgonda, October 13: Three kids of the Banjara Community, in separate incidents in the district, were sold for a paltry sum of Rs 2000 each. One incident took place today, while the other two took place some time back. In all the three cases, the local police arrested the parents, who sold the kids and are in the process of tracking the kids sold away.
In Venkatam Thanda in Turupupally hamlet in Devarakonda division, V Ramulu and Anju sold their one-week-old infant baby girl for Rs 2000 to one Devi Sukka, also a Banjara woman, who in turn sold the girl to some one in Hyderabad for a premium price. Since Ramlu and Anju came to know that they were cheated by Devi they spread the news.
When the local police arrested Ramlu, Anju and Devi, Anju and Devi had a scuffle even in the presence of police over alerting the police.
Ramlu and Anju have four daughters and the youngest girl was sold. In Banalakunta Thanda in Azmapet Village, V Rathnam and Lakshmi sold their new born baby to a family living in Vizag Colony for Rs 2000. Police arrested the couple and are trying to locate the sold child. In the same mandal, five days ago, a Banjara couple Hemu and Manti sold their 15-day-old girl child to Motilal, a middleman, for Rs 2000.
Since the matter came to light following the arrest of Rathnam and Lakshmi, the police have taken Hemu and Manti into custody.
Selling children, especially the girl child, is not new among the Banjara families living in the district especially those from Deverakonda division. The practice was in vogue since 1990. But the official confirmation of the selling of children came since 1996, when Integrated Child Development Scheme started recording such cases.In 2000 itself, the then Legislator Ravindra Naik raised the issue in the Legislative Assembly and demanded a special package in the area to discourage the practice.
After much deliberations, the special package order of the government was issued in 2004. In 2006, the then district Collector Vijayanand allocated about Rs 27 crore funds issued for the special packages to various departments to help the families.
Though the funds were given to the vulunerable families, the money either was spent by the families or taken away by the middlemen. Hence the practice of selling the infants continuing till this date.
–Agencies–