Human traffickers selling young women from West Bengal to bride searchers in Haryana busted

By Marvie Basilan, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, August 20, 2015

Five people have been arrested and charged with human trafficking after allegedly selling young girls from West Bengal to Haryana men who were looking for brides.

A state known for its extremely declining sex ratios, Haryana will most probably see more arrests in the future, officials say. Local police said they rescued four women, of which two were minors, who were allegedly brought to Delhi from West Bengal and were sold in Haryana for Rs50,000 (approximately $764) to Rs1 lakh (approximately $1,529).

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According to the Indian Express, joint commissioner of police R S Yadav said the persons arrested are: Syed Ali a.k.a Raju, Ram Bhavan, Rita, Ashok, and Pramod. Raju is said to be the kingpin of the modus. "Raju belongs to West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district and moved to Delhi about 12 years ago," Yadav said.

The women were reported to have come from "extremely poor families" and were purchased by men above 50 years of age. They were also forced into labor on their owners' farmlands.

Upon their rescue, the women said they were kept locked up at Bhavan's house before they were sold, following their travel from West Bengal. The police are searching for Bhavan's wife, Lakshmi, who is still on the run.

The racket was well planned as police discovered that Raju changed the names of the victims who were mostly Muslim, and they were given Hindu names before they were sold. While procuring marriage documents require money and the help of people with position, police are looking around to find out if clerks at certain notary offices are also involved in the modus.

The rescue was initiated after a 24-year-old woman escaped from the hands of her captors in Haryana on August 5 and was able to reach a nongovernment organization in Delhi for assistance.

Unnamed for safety purposes, the lady tipped the police of the ongoing trafficking, saying her cousin of 17 years wasn't able to escape and was sold after the two of them were abducted near the Raiganj railway station in Uttar Dinajpur district.

It is unclear at the moment where the rescued women have been brought for protection.