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 suspected 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 reported that the child had been sold to a woman residing in the Colombo area.
During questioning, the suspects allegedly claimed that the child was sold to obtain money for the medical treatment of her four-year-old elder sister, who is suffering from thalassemia.
Investigators further stated that the mother had reportedly used Rs. 15,000 from the proceeds to purchase a mobile phone, but failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the purchase.
The arrested mother and her partner, aged 27 and 31, are residents of the Dharmapuram area, while the woman accused of buying the child is a 37-year-old resident of Avariyawatta, Katunayake.
All three suspects were produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court and remanded until April 29.
