Representative imageKannur: Childline officials have rescued five adolescent girls who were purchased from their parents and then brought to Kerala as domestic helps.
The police have taken into custody agents from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu who came to see off the girls. A person from Chokli has also been arrested. The main link in the child-trafficking chain is believed to be Mastani (40) from Andhra Pradesh. She was first arrested by the police when she was trying to sell her daughter for Rs 1,20,000. The others were arrested from the premises of Thalassery railway station after she gave their details to the police. K. Azeez from Keezhmadom had come to purchase the girls.
The girls are aged between eight and 16 and were brought to work in four houses in Chokli. Agents charged Rs 35,000 to Rs 100,000 each for the girls from the house owners. The parents would get Rs 3600 monthly as compensation. Three of the girls, aged 15 or 16 seemed to have been going through a tough time for the past five years. They have been lodged at Thalassery Mahila Mandir. A day ago, a 14-year-old girl who was brought to Iritti for helping with cable works was also rescued.
