A phone call from a minor girl from Bengal, allegedly trafficked to Telangana and confined to a house on the outskirts of Hyderabad, to a police officer in South 24-Parganas eventually led to her rescue on Wednesday.
The 16-year-old girl called the officer-in-charge of Jibantala police station on Wednesday morning. She had earlier managed to contact her father who shared the officer’s number, police said.
“The girl was confined to a room. But she still managed to give specific inputs on her location that immensely helped in the rescue. She showed great presence of mind,” the officer-in-charge told The Telegraph.
Prompt coordination between child rights organisations and the cops in Bengal and Telangana led to the rescue around 3.30pm on Wednesday.
“She was rescued from a house in Bolarum, an industrial area on Hyderabad’s outskirts. A man was arrested,” said a senior Telangana police officer.
A team from Baruipur police division flew to Hyderabad on Thursday. “The team got the transit remand of the accused. The girl and the accused are being brought back to Bengal,” said the officer in Jibantala.
Mission Mukti Foundation, a Delhi-based NGO, Help Foundation, a Telangana-based organisation, coordinated with the cops. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Childline India were also involved.
Sources in the police said a preliminary probe suggested the accused, who was married, had befriended the girl before trafficking her. “A probe is underway. We will have to interrogate the accused to know how the girl was trafficked. But it seems they reached Telangana on train and then took a bus,” the officer said.