Malkangiri: The district administration rescued two siblings including a minor boy following reports of the alleged sale of a nine-year-old boy by his parents who wished to get divorced in a bid to marry their respective paramours, a report said Tuesday.
The estranged parents were identified as Sukra Bhumia and his wife of nondescript Telgabecha village under Kianga panchayat of Mathili block in this district. Their eldest son was identified as Basudev while his sibling’s name is Jagannath. Jagannath was later rescued from Siraguda village where he was being engaged as a goat tender.
Meanwhile, Collector Manish Agarwal directed the Mathili BDO and child protection officer to collect details about Basudev and take steps on his rehabilitation, study and other facilities. State women and child development minister Tukuni Sahu also praised the Anganwadi worker Jayanti Khara who rescued the boy and took steps for his study in a tweet. He advised the District Collector to take steps for the rehabilitation of the child.
Also read: Parents sell off their 9-year-old son to finalise divorce and remarry elsewhere
The siblings were rescued by the members of the district childline. The childline members after receiving a phone call of child sale at Salapadar visited the village and rescued the child with the help of the BDO. Basudev narrated his ordeal before them and informed them about his brother at Siraguda in Mathili block.
The team visited Siraguda block and found the boy tending goats. They brought the siblings and produced them before the CWC. Later, they were rehabilitated at a children’s home. They will be brought up here and educated.
When contacted, Basudev, the elder of the two siblings, said they will receive education here and do a good job in future.
PNN