A poverty-stricken tribal couple in Dhamnagar allegedly sold their four-year-old daughter for just Rs 15,000.
According to police and child welfare officials, Bandhua Munda and his wife Kali Munda, residents of the Damadi area near Gumugad Chhak under Dhamnagar police station, handed over their youngest daughter Ranu Munda to a buyer from Balasore on Saturday evening. The couple, who survive by begging, reportedly received ₹10,000 in Dhamnagar market and had taken ₹5,000 earlier. Kali Munda later spent ₹1,000 on shoes and food items for the family, while the rest was handed to a neighbour for safekeeping.
The family has three children — two daughters and an elder son — all living in extreme deprivation. Local residents said the Mundas had been struggling for months, with no steady income or support.
The transaction came to light after neighbours noticed the child missing following a puja ceremony on Friday, where two men from Balasore had visited. Sources indicate the girl was being arranged to be sent to Kolkata. Even 24 hours after the incident, the child has not been traced or rescued, raising serious concerns about her safety.
District Child Protection Officer Shubhashree Pariadi, along with Ramakanta Jena and Dhamnagar police SI Rashmita Mallick, reached the spot and launched an immediate investigation. “We are treating this as a serious case of child trafficking. The girl will be rescued very soon,” Pariadi assured.
The incident has triggered fear and anger in the tribal-dominated area, described by locals as the first such case in Dhamnagar. Social activist Ramesh Behera said, “Poverty has reached such a level here that poor parents are forced to sell their own children just to feed the rest of the family. This is a wake-up call for the administration.”
Police are now interrogating the parents and tracking the buyer while child welfare teams work round the clock to locate the child.
