Podey Tamang of Balkumari Village Development Committee-8 allegedly sold his 15-year-old daughter to three unidentified men for Rs 10,000 in Kathmandu on October 16. The girl was reportedly being trafficked to Mumbai via Pune in India. She was, however, rescued by a group of youths from her village, who were working in Pune. Tamang’s alleged crime came to light after his daughter returned home and reported the incident to the police. In another incident, police arrested one Madhukar Kunwar for selling his sister-in-law. The involvement of family members and close relatives in human trafficking in Nuwakot is on the rise, said an officer at the District Police Office. Asmita Thapa, an anti-trafficking activist, said the involvement of parents and relatives has come up a major challenge in controlling the crime. Human trafficking agents, whose activities have largely been discouraged by anti-trafficking campaigns launched by various organisations, are using parents and relatives to carry out the racket in rural areas of Nuwakot, Thapa said.