A mother and her partner have been arrested by Sri Lanka Police over the alleged sale of a two-year-old girl for Rs. 40,000, part of which was reportedly used to purchase a mobile phone worth Rs. 15,000.

Police also arrested a woman accused of purchasing the child.

According to police, the arrests were made following a complaint lodged by the Grama Niladhari Office, who informed authorities that the child had been sold to a woman in the Colombo area in exchange for money.

During questioning, the suspects reportedly stated that the child’s elder four-year-old sister is suffering from thalassaemia, and that the money was needed for medical treatment. Police said the two-year-old child was also suffering from the same illness.

However, officers had questioned why part of the money had been used to purchase a mobile phone. Police said the suspects had failed to provide an explanation.

The mother and her partner, aged 27 and 31 respectively, are residents of Dharmapuram. The woman alleged to have purchased the child is a 37-year-old resident of Avariwatta, Katunayake.

The two women and the male suspect were produced before the Kilinochchi Magistrate’s Court and remanded until 29 April.