Balangir, Jan. 17: Dama Dash, a resident of Buxi Uadar village near Balangir, was arrested on Wednesday allegedly for selling a woman who he had married at a temple here.

A team of police from Balangir rescued the woman from Ramapura in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The accused has been remanded in judicial custody and sent to the jail, after a Balangir court rejected his bail plea.

Police sources said Dash, 26, was in love with Bhagayasini of Indra Nagar locality, Balangir. The accused admitted before the police that he had married the girl at a Kali temple in Rugudipada.

Thereafter, in August, last year the couple moved to Padmapur in Bargarh district and stayed there for few days. In December, Dama and another person from Manamunda in Boudh district took Bhagyasini to Ramapura village in Lalitpur. They forcibly married her off to Ranjan Dubey of the village, who had paid Rs 35,000.

Dama admitted, out of Rs 35,000, the mediator from Manamunda took Rs 25,000 and gave him the rest.

He said he had taken two more unmarried girls to Uttar Pradesh where they were married off.

The incident came to light when Bhagyasini’s family members informed the police.

Inspector in charge of Balangir town police station Srimanta Barik said a team led by assistant sub-inspector Mahatab Pradhan travelled to Uttar Pradesh and rescued Bhagyasini from Ramapura.

The other accused is absconding.