The West Bengal police on Tuesday recovered three minor girls, who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances from Kalimpong village of Darjeeling on October 8, from a house in Model House locality of the city.
The girls were brought from their village by members of an inter-state human trafficking gang purportedly to work as domestic helps in the houses of NRIs who visit the state during winter.
A team of five Darjeeling police personnel, including two woman constables, and representatives of an NGO, Dooars Express Mail, were camping in the city for two days.
Assistant sub- inspectors Gautam Lamba and Rajinder Rai were heading the team.
Following the location of a call made by one of the girl, the team reached Jalandhar on Sunday and contacted local police officials.
On Monday, the team went to Industrial Area, Sodal, Lamba Pind etc and met police officials at the police station-8.
On Tuesday, the team along with the NGO representative contacted the girls on phone and asked them to meet in Model House locality.
As per the plan, the NGO representative went to meet them in the market along with Darjeeling police personnel in civvies.
As soon as two of the girls came to meet him the police took them in custody. The third minor girl was recovered from the house of Gona, a Nepali woman, in the same locality by the joint team of Jalandhar and Darjeeling police.
A police official said most of trafficked girls are forced into flesh trade.
The NGO representative told HT that the girls were produced before a member of child welfare committee in Jalandhar and will be taken back to Darjeeling on Wednesday evening.
He said the three girls have given their statement to CWC member. He said human trafficking is on the rise in the Darjeeling hills and girls are being trafficked to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
On whether the girls were sexually assaulted, he said there was no sign of the same prima facie and the girls are in trauma and, therefore, unable to speak properly.
The NGO representative further said the Nepali women, Gona, was not present at her house when they recovered the third girl. Rest of the investigation will be conducted in Darjeeling after girls are be handed over to their families, he added.
He said 32 minor girls were reported missing last year from Darjeeling while the figure has crossed 100 mark this year.
He said most of the parents do not report such cases to the police due to social stigma attached with it. “Minor girls are being trafficked to other states from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in West Bengal,” he said.
Source: Hindustan Times
Police recover 3 Kalimpong Darjeeling girls in Jalandhar |
A team of five Darjeeling police personnel, including two woman constables, and representatives of an NGO, Dooars Express Mail, were camping in the city for two days.
Assistant sub- inspectors Gautam Lamba and Rajinder Rai were heading the team.
Following the location of a call made by one of the girl, the team reached Jalandhar on Sunday and contacted local police officials.
On Monday, the team went to Industrial Area, Sodal, Lamba Pind etc and met police officials at the police station-8.
On Tuesday, the team along with the NGO representative contacted the girls on phone and asked them to meet in Model House locality.
As per the plan, the NGO representative went to meet them in the market along with Darjeeling police personnel in civvies.
As soon as two of the girls came to meet him the police took them in custody. The third minor girl was recovered from the house of Gona, a Nepali woman, in the same locality by the joint team of Jalandhar and Darjeeling police.
A police official said most of trafficked girls are forced into flesh trade.
The NGO representative told HT that the girls were produced before a member of child welfare committee in Jalandhar and will be taken back to Darjeeling on Wednesday evening.
He said the three girls have given their statement to CWC member. He said human trafficking is on the rise in the Darjeeling hills and girls are being trafficked to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
On whether the girls were sexually assaulted, he said there was no sign of the same prima facie and the girls are in trauma and, therefore, unable to speak properly.
The NGO representative further said the Nepali women, Gona, was not present at her house when they recovered the third girl. Rest of the investigation will be conducted in Darjeeling after girls are be handed over to their families, he added.
He said 32 minor girls were reported missing last year from Darjeeling while the figure has crossed 100 mark this year.
He said most of the parents do not report such cases to the police due to social stigma attached with it. “Minor girls are being trafficked to other states from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in West Bengal,” he said.
Source: Hindustan Times
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