Baripada: Mayurbhanj assistant sessions court judge Basudev Acharya Wednesday convicted a man for selling three girls on the pretext of providing them jobs and sentenced him to 5 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) along with Rs 6,000 fine. In case of default, the convict will have to serve additional 6 months of imprisonment, the judge ordered.
As per the case file, Budhini Singh of Jayabila village under Baripada Sadar PS limits in Mayurbhanj district along with his associate Shankar Patra took three girls including a minor from Khanua village under Badasahi police limits to Rourkela in the pretext of providing them jobs with Rs 12,000 salary per month. But after the girls’ mobile numbers were found to be switched off for the next five days, their family members approached the police.
Upon investigation, police rescued one girl from Rajasthan with the help of Rajasthan Police. It was discovered only then that the two accused had sold them at Kota in Rajasthan for Rs 2 lakhs. Police then registered a case (44/22) at Badasahi police station, arrested Budhini, and forwarded him to court. The judge pronounced the judgment after hearing 11 eyewitnesses and going through the police investigation report. Another accused Shankar Patra is serving his term at a Rajasthan jail as an undertrial prisoner. Public prosecutor Bajendra Singh conducted the proceedings of the case in court.
