BALASORE: Balasore police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a sex trafficking racket with the arrest of 13 persons who allegedly brought eight women to Odisha from West Bengal and Bangladesh for prostitution.
SP Sagarika Nath said of the 13 accused, three each are from Basta and Singla, one each from Khurda, West Bengal and Baliapal and four from Balasore town. The arrested persons include four women.
Nath said all the eight trafficked women have been rescued. While six of them are from West Bengal, two belong to Bangladesh.
Based on the complaint of a West Bengal-based NGO regarding trafficking of a woman, police formed a special team and started investigation. The team traced the victim in Basta area of the district and rescued her. Police arrested a couple which was reportedly running the sex racket from their house in Basta. A 28-year-old man was also arrested for exploiting the victim and living off her earnings.
After being trafficked to Odisha, the victim was first brought to Balasore town and handed over to a family which exploited her. At least four persons of the family including two women were arrested. During interrogation, the victim revealed that one of her acquaintances was also trafficked to Odisha and sent to Khurda district. The police team went to Khurda, rescued the woman and arrested a 28-year-old man who had engaged her in sex trade.
Subsequently, a man from 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, who was instrumental in trafficking the women to Odisha, was nabbed. The SP said further investigation led to the rescue of six trafficked women of whom two are from Bangladesh.
Police have found evidence of financial transaction between the accused from West Bengal and Odisha. Using fake documents, the accused operated the sex trafficking racket since the last several years.
The accused were produced in court and remanded in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway, Nath added.