Balangir, Nov. 29: Police today arrested parents of a minor girl and one godman and his female disciple on charge of child trafficking.

The police had also rescued the minor girl, Smita (name changed), from Kumbhari village in the Saintala police limits from where she was to supposed to be trafficked to Delhi.

The accused were today remanded in judicial custody after Balangir court had rejected their bail.

Police sources said the parents of the girl, Sukadev Chinda and Sakhi Chinda of Patharchhepa village on the outskirts of Balangir, had handed over their daughter to a godman, Ramesh Rai, and his consort Shaktimayee, who had allegedly promised her marriage in Delhi.

The news spread like wild fire that the couple had sold their daughter to the godman, who was trying to send the girl to Delhi.

The police soon sprung into action and rounded up both the couples for questioning.

While the godman and his consort said they had no information, the parents of the girl admitted that they had handed over their daughter to him, though they argued that their daughter was not a minor.

The police, however, found that the girl was 15 years old. The cops had also conducted raids on Balangir railway station, but returned empty handed.

Later, inquiry revealed that the girl had been kept at Kumbhari village. Inspector in charge of Balangir sadar police station Ananda Majhi said: “We raided the village and rescued the girl. She was kept there as Titilagarh was close to the village from where she would have boarded the train to Delhi.”

“We have arrested the girl’s parents, the godman and his consort. We have booked them for kidnapping the girl and conspiring for forcible marriage under prohibition of child marriage act,” said Majhi.