The man sold the boy to the couple who had three girls, police said. (Representational)

A man was arrested Monday for allegedly abducting and selling a five-year-old boy to a couple for Rs 20,000 in Uttar Pradesh's Shaharanpur district, police said.

The boy, however, was rescued within an hour and Rs 19,000 cash recovered from the accused, they said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dinesh Kumar P said, the accused, Praveen, is a relative of the boy. The boy's parents worked as labourers.

The child's parents were out on work when Praveen along with his wife Renu came to their house in Saloni village of Sarsava area in Saharanpur and took Saurabh to nearby Sultanpur village, he said.

Praveen then sold the boy to the couple. The couple had three girls, the officer said.

As the child's parents reported the matter to the police, Praveen was questioned. He later confessed to the crime.

The accused was taken to Sultanpur village where the police rescued the boy, but the couple who had bought the child managed to flee.