Spanish police rescue 12-year-old girl sold by her parents

The Spanish National Police on Wednesday rescued a 12-year-old girl in the northwestern city of A Coruña who had allegedly been sold by her parents to another family.

The financial exchange took place in Córdoba, in southern Spain, and the child was then taken to the region of Galicia, where the police located her after a one-month search.

According to several sources, the child was sold for around €4,000 by her own parents

Three Romanian nationals – a couple and another relative – were arrested during the raid on a home on De la Torre street, in the Monte Alto neighborhood of A Coruña, said sources familiar with the police operation.

The investigation began in early March, when the school in Córdoba that the child had been attending contacted the family to inquire about her days-long absence. Her parents failed to provide a convincing explanation, and teachers reported the absence to education authorities and to the police, said the same sources. A court in Córdoba is now in charge of the case.

According to several sources, the child was sold for around €4,000 by her own parents, and investigators believe her captors may have been meaning to marry her to a member of their family following the wedding rites of the Roma people, which both families belong to.

Health emergency workers were dispatched to the home where the girl was found. She has been placed in the care of Galicia’s social services, and will undergo a medical check to determine whether she has been physically abused.

English version by Susana Urra.