A girl from North 24-Parganas district, who aspired to join the army or police, was allegedly trafficked to Bangalore in November.
On January 24, the 16-year-old was rescued from a house in Rajagopala Nagar in Bangalore by a team of police officers and child rights activists.
A man who allegedly befriended the girl by posing as an “army officer” was arrested during the raid, the police said. A team from Bengal police is in Bangalore to bring the girl back and take custody of the accused.
“The girl’s father runs a grocery store. She wanted to join the army or police. She took a keen interest in athletics and had enrolled for training under a local coach who trains young people who want to join armed forces,” said Subhankar Sarkar of Charuigachhi Light House Society, an NGO that helped in the rescue of the girl.
The accused, who is from Bankura, is said to have befriended the girl by posing as an “army officer” and lured her with the prospect of a job.
“When we raided his house in Bankura, we found several sets of uniforms. Prima facie, it seems he is a repeat offender. But we need to interrogate him for information. The girl needs counselling. We are completing the formalities and expect to return by February 8,” said a police officer who is investigating the case and is in Bangalore now.
The girl’s family filed a missing complaint on November 17, 2022. She had apparently told her brother about her “new friendship” with the man.
“The man promised her a better life and took her to Bangalore. She was kept in a house and was sexually exploited by the accused,” said Rajesh Chaturvedi, of Mission Rescue Foundation, the NGO that helped Bangalore police in the rescue. “We suspect he would have forced her into prostitution. The rescue happened before that.”
The girl managed to make a video call to her brother, who recorded and shared it with Sarkar and the cops. The tower location was shared by the West Bengal police with cops in Bangalore.
Many adolescent girls in South and North 24-Parganas are targeted by traffickers with the promise of a good job.
Police teams and rights activists have been conducting awareness campaigns on the perils of child marriage, often the stepping stone to trafficking and said to be on the rise since the outbreak of Covid.
The girls are also being told to exercise caution while using social media and avoid accepting “friend requests” from unknown persons.