Raiganj, July 10 -- In a major crackdown on human trafficking, officials of the Islampur Police District, in a joint operation with a collaborating NGO, conducted a late-night raid at the Champabag red light area in Islampur on Thursday and rescued seven women, including four minor girls, who were allegedly being forced into prostitution. With this the number of rescued women and minors has gone up to 48 within a week.
Police said the rescued minors have been produced before the appropriate authorities and placed under the care of the Child Welfare Committee in Raiganj for protection and rehabilitation. The operation forms part of an ongoing drive against human trafficking in the district.
The latest rescue follows a series of similar operations carried out over the past week. On July 4, police rescued 17 minor girls from the same brothel and arrested four persons, including two women, on charges of allegedly running a trafficking network. The following day, another 24 minor girls were rescued from Champabag and nearby areas.
According to police sources, most of the rescued girls are residents of different districts of Bihar. The incidents have triggered concern among local residents and raised questions over the alleged trafficking network operating in the area.
Former BJP MLA from English Bazar, Sreerupa Mitra Chaudhury, popularly known as "Nirbhaya Didi", visited the Champabag area and demanded an investigation by the National Investigation Agency into the alleged trafficking racket. She also called for an Enforcement Directorate probe into the source of funds allegedly invested in the brothel. Chaudhury alleged that some local political leaders and businessmen had links with the trafficking network and claimed that most of the rescued girls were brought from Bihar.
Superintendent of Police Rakesh Singh said: "The drive against human trafficking will continue."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.