Police in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district rescued 15 girls and arrested 11 people, including three brokers from Mumbai, days after busting a child smuggling ring.
Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Jhalawar Police, said that 10 girls were rescued last Friday, and that they found banking transactions between brokers related to trafficking. “Their properties and bank details are being checked,” Kumar said.
Kumar said police raids forced traffickers to hand over some girls to their families. He added that the accused have been booked under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act.
Kumar said the gang targeted poor and indebted families, especially from the Kangar community, and bought the girls by promising jobs and financial assistance for their daughters. “The children were to remain under the gang’s control until they turned 11, after which they would be sold into prostitution in cities like Mumbai,” he added. Most of the girls rescued are between four and five years old.”
Police said brokers took most of the money earned from trafficking, and only a small portion was given to their families. The gang allegedly forged Aadhaar cards of minor girls, passing them off as adults.
The police formed a special investigation team to suppress the racket and rescue the victims. Ramkanya Pai, a resident of Bundi, has been identified as the alleged leader of the gang.
