AURANGABAD: The city police have arrested two women on charges of purchasing two minors for Rs 55,000 and Rs 1 lakh, respectively, and later forcing them to beg.
The accused have been identified as Janabai Jadhav (59) and her daughter Savita Pagare (33). They were produced in the court on Thursday following which, they have been remanded in three-day police custody.
When contacted, investigation officer and police sub-inspector Shrikant Bharate said, “The incident came to light after a social worker found that the accused women were brutally assaulting the children — aged two and five years.”
A police team rushed to the Ramnagar area and rescued the two children who were handed over to the child welfare committee on Thursday.
The authorities said the women are suspected to be a part of a larger racket involved in making money by forcing minors into begging.
As per the complaint lodged by Devraj Veer, the social activist, he saw the mother-daughter duo assaulting the children and objected to their action. However, they did not pay any heed to his requests and continued to thrash the children.
Police said during the preliminary probe, the accused were asked about their relationship with the minors. The accused claimed that they had adopted th children. Later, the accused also produced two bond papers of Rs 100 each. The bond papers stated that they had purchased the two-year-old for Rs 55,000 and the five-year-old for Rs 1 lakh.
A woman official from the child welfare department, citing statements of the rescued minors, said the accused not only assaulted the children, but also deprived them of basic hygiene facilities so that people would sympathise with them and give them alms.
As per the findings of the police, by making these children beg on streets and traffic signals, people earn anything between Rs 300 to Rs 700 every day.
