Adilabad (Telangana) [India], June 28 : Adilabad Police have arrested three people, including a couple from Maharashtra, in connection with the alleged kidnapping, trafficking, and sexual assault of a minor girl, officials said on Saturday.
The victim, a class-10 student who was staying with her grandmother, was allegedly lured away under false pretences and trafficked to Rajasthan, according to Adilabad district police.
Officials said that the accused couple, identified as Nirmala Bapunya Atram (47) and Bapunya Rajaram Atram (49), both natives of Maharashtra, reportedly took the girl from her relative's home in Bhimpur Mandal earlier this month.
"The girl's parents live separately, and she was residing with her grandmother. Knowing the family, the couple convinced the girl to attend a function and transported her by bus to Nagpur, and then on to Rajasthan, where she was allegedly sold for Rs 10,000. The buyer subsequently sexually assaulted her," police officials said.
The incident came to light after the victim's grandmother lodged a missing person's complaint on June 22, stating that she had been searching for the girl since June 2. During the investigation, suspicion fell on the Atram couple.
One of the accused women reportedly asked for three days to bring the girl back and later returned her to her grandmother.
Based on the grandmother's complaint, police arrested three people, including the buyer, identified as Kiran.
The arrested individuals have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and laws pertaining to human trafficking.
All three have been sent for judicial remand. The investigation is ongoing, the officials added.