Teen Boy Sells Wife To Rich Man, Uses Money To Buy Smartphone

A 17-year-old Indian boy sold his newlywed wife to a rich man in return for money to buy a smartphone. The shocking incident came to light after the woman’s family approached the police to report her missing.

According to the police, the boy, identified as Rajesh Rana, a resident of Sulekela village in Odisha, had married the 26-year-old woman of the nearby village following a month-long love affair.

However, after 15 days of marriage, the boy took his wife to Rajasthan for their honeymoon. While there, the teen introduced his wife to a 55-year-old businessman who reportedly offered the boy money in exchange for his wife, reports said.

Police said the teen sold his wife to the rich man for Rs 1,80,000 ( $2400 approx.).

On August 5, the woman’s father approached the Belpada police and lodged a missing person’s report after the family’s repeated attempts to contact her went in vain.

Based on the complaint, the police initiated an investigation and summoned Rajesh for questioning.

Although initially, he denied knowing his wife’s whereabouts but after a detailed grilling he confessed to the crime. The teenager told the police that he used the money on dining and to buy himself a smartphone.

A special investigation team went to Rajasthan to rescue the victim. However, their efforts to bring her back failed as the angry villagers were reluctant to release her.

Following the failed attempt, the Odisha police team sought help from the Rajasthan police and rescued the woman from the village. She was brought back to Odisha and reunited with her family.

Meanwhile, Rana was arrested and charged under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 370 (human trafficking), and 371 (habitual dealing in slaves) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He was produced before a juvenile court and later sent to a correctional home where he is currently being held.

It is unclear if the businessman in question has been arrested or charged for his involvement in the crime.

In a similar but unrelated incident, the Delhi Police rescued a 15-year-old girl from Rajasthan after she was reportedly abducted by a man and a woman and then sold off for marriage for Rs 60,000 ( $800 ).

Nearly a month after the teen's disappearance, the police were able to locate her in the Sikar farmland where rescuers said she was beaten with sticks, sexually abused, and held captive by the man who had purchased her to marry his 38-year-old brother-in-law.