In the latest among a series of incidents across the country involving poor parents selling their children for money, a 30-year-old woman, beaten and driven out of home by her hooch-addict husband two weeks ago, sold her three daughters for Rs 155.
The incident took place at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district- some 50 kilometres from here.
At the railway station, the woman, Purnima Halder, sold the little girls –three-year-old Rama, seven-year-old Supriya and nine-year-old Priya- for a sum of Rs 30, Rs 25 and Rs 100 respectively to three separate buyers, earning adequate sums to pay for her day’s meal.
Strangely, the police, who later rescued the girl children, sought to downplay the incident.
“Purnima realised that she couldn't look after the children. She only handed them over so these people could take care of them,” police said.
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