Three Nepalese women, minor girl rescued; 2 traffickers held

Lucknow: In a joint operation, police and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) rescued three Nepalese women and a minor girl from the clutches of human traffickers near the Indo-Nepal border on Sunday night.While two traffickers were arrested, the rescued victims were handed over to an NGO for care and rehabilitation. According to Sirsiya station house officer Shailkant Upadhyay, the operation was carried out following a tip-off received during routine night patrolling. Sub-inspector Deepak Giri, along with police and SSB personnel, was on patrol when information was received about the trafficking of Nepali girls into India. Acting swiftly, a joint team comprising AHTU (Anti-Human Trafficking Unit) in-charge Santosh Gautam, SOG in-charge Mohammad Yusuf, and SSB assistant commandant Amit Sharma conducted a raid in the border village of Bhachkahi. After brief surveillance, the team spotted two men arriving via a forest route on a motorcycle with three women and a minor. The accused were identified as Hariram and Ramroop, residents of Babhni Kukurbhukva village. During questioning, the victims stated that they were brought under the pretext of dance performances. Local enquiries revealed that the women were allegedly sexually exploited after being lured with false promises. Police registered an FIR against the two accused under relevant sections related to human trafficking and sexual exploitation.