Raiganj, July 5 -- In a major crackdown on human trafficking, officials of the Islampur Police District in North Dinajpur arrested four persons and rescued 17 minor girls from a brothel at Champabag in Islampur . The arrested persons were identified as Noorjahan Bibi, Taslima Khatun, Mohammad Salim and Mohammad Nizam, all residents of different areas under Islampur police station. The accused were produced before a court on Saturday, which granted police five days' custody for further investigation.
The rescued girls have been sent to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) home in Raiganj for care and rehabilitation. The incident has created tension in the locality, with residents expressing concern over the alleged trafficking network operating in the area.
According to police sources, the operation was conducted under the supervision of Rakesh Singh, Superintendent of Police, Islampur Police District. Acting on specific intelligence inputs that minor girls had been trafficked and confined in the brothel, police launched an intensive raid with the assistance of members of a Bihar-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). Drone technology was also used during the operation to monitor movements and prevent suspects from escaping.
During the raid, police rescued 17 minor girls believed to have been trafficked from different districts of Bihar, Assam and West Bengal. Most of the victims are reportedly from Patna, Araria and Begusarai districts of Bihar.
Speaking to reporters, Superintendent of Police of Islampur police District Rakesh Singh said, " Intelligence reports indicated that minor girls had been trafficked and sold in the area. Then we conducted an exclusive raid using drone technology.
The use of drone surveillance helped police conduct the operation effectively and prevent suspects from fleeing. Then, 17 minor girls were rescued and four suspected traffickers were arrested. Producing them to court they have been taken for five days police custody. We started an intensive investigation to arrest all other persons relating to the girls trafficking racket".
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.