In a chilling case of betrayal and human trafficking, a young woman from Bihar's East Champaran district was lured away with promises of marriage by her lover and sold into a red-light district in Kolkata for Rs 2.30 lakh. Trapped in a brothel, the victim managed to make a secret, frantic phone call to her mother, pleading for help. The terrifying distress signal prompted swift police intervention. Posing as customers in the crowded lanes of Kolkata, Bihar police officers located the missing girl, coordinated with local authorities, and safely rescued her from the trafficking ring.
Desperate Phone Call Triggers Swift Police Response
The ordeal came to light when the young woman's mother received a panic-stricken phone call from her daughter, revealing that her partner had deceived her and sold her to brothel operators in Kolkata. Terrified by the revelation, the mother immediately rushed to the Kesariya Police Station in East Champaran to seek urgent help. Recognizing the grave nature of the crime, Station House Officer Rahul Kumar documented the details and briefed East Champaran Superintendent of Police Swarn Prabhat. On the SP's directions, a special task force led by Additional SHO Rajkumar Raju was constituted to trace and recover the woman, with the victim's mother accompanying the rescue team to West Bengal.
Undercover Decoy Operation in Kolkata's Red-Light Zone
Locating a single individual within the densely populated red-light areas of Kolkata posed a formidable challenge for the investigating team. Police tracked the location data of the mobile phone number used by the victim to make the distress call, pinpointing the area under the jurisdiction of the Poshipara Police Station. Fearing that an overt police raid might alert the traffickers and jeopardize the victim's life, Additional SHO Rajkumar Raju devised an undercover strategy. He entered the crowded red-light district disguised as a customer. Moving carefully through the lanes, he used non-verbal signals to confirm the victim's location and presence inside a specific establishment.
Joint Raid Rescues Victim Safely
Once the exact location was verified, the Bihar Police team sought immediate assistance from the local Poshipara Police Station in Kolkata. A coordinated raid was conducted at the identified location, successfully rescuing the victim from the brothel. After completing the necessary legal formalities in West Bengal, the police team headed back to Motihari with the victim on October 10. The successful rescue operation involved key efforts from Kesariya SHO Rahul Kumar, Additional SHO Rajkumar Raju, and investigating officers Sub-Inspector Manoj Thakur and Sub-Inspector Komal Kumari, along with supporting personnel.
Background of the Relationship and Betrayal
Investigative details revealed that the victim, hailing from the Kesariya police station region, had been in a relationship with Rohit Kumar, a resident of Shahpurpatti in the Sahebganj police area of Muzaffarpur district. Rohit frequently visited the victim's village as his sister was married there. The two had met about a year ago and had been in a romantic relationship for three months. Both being adults, they planned to marry and decided to leave their homes together, which initially led the family not to file an immediate missing person complaint.
Lured to Railway Station and Sold for Rs 2.30 Lakh
During interrogation following his arrest, Rohit admitted to planning the entrapment. He persuaded the young woman to leave her house under the guise of marrying her and instructed her to meet him at a designated railway station. Two of his accomplices were already waiting there. Rohit convinced the victim to board a Kolkata-bound train with his associates, claiming he would follow shortly on a later train. Trusting his word, she traveled to Kolkata, where the accomplices sold her into the red-light area for Rs 2.30 lakh before absconding with the cash.
Interstate Trafficking Network Exposed; Raids Underway
Further questioning of Rohit exposed a wider human trafficking network operating across districts. He identified three key associates involved in the crime: Pankaj and Prince, both residents of Muzaffarpur, and a woman named Soni from Purnia. Investigators suspect that Soni played a crucial role as the primary broker who arranged the transaction with the brothel owners in Kolkata. SHO Rahul Kumar stated that police are reviewing Rohit's criminal history while conducting continuous raids to apprehend the remaining suspects. Meanwhile, the rescued woman has been safely reunited with her family, where she is receiving medical examinations and psychological counseling.
