Islampur, July 4 -- A police drone hovering silently over a restricted pocket of Islampur late on Friday night became the turning point in an operation where 17 minor girls rescued successfully. In a first-of-its-kind operation in the Islampur Police District of North Dinajpur, West Bengal Police used drone surveillance to bust an alleged human trafficking attempt, rescuing 17 minor girls and arresting four suspected traffickers, officials confirmed on Saturday.

According to police, the operation began with a tip-off on Friday night that several minor girls from Bihar, Assam and Gujarat were being trafficked and hidden in a restricted area in the Champabagh locality of Islampur. The Islampur Police District immediately launched a special...