CUTTACK: A day after a case was registered and probe initiated into the trafficking of a 17-year-old girl from Bangladesh, Madhupatna police on Sunday arrested a couple for their alleged involvement in the matter.
The accused, Veera Gujur Choudhary (55) of Rajasthan and Jasmine (36) of Keonjhar were apprehended from their rented house in Gopalpur within Cuttack Sadar police limits.
“Choudhury and Jasmine had been staying in a rented house in Gopalpur for the last 10 years. The victim had stayed with them for a day. The accused had engaged the Bangladeshi minor girl in prostitution,” said DCP Jagmohan Meena.
He said the victim has revealed the nicknames of five persons who trafficked her and forced her into prostitution. Further investigation is on to ascertain their identities and apprehend them. Some criminals of two different states in the country and of Bangladesh are involved in the case, the SP claimed.
Police sources said the minor was found roaming at Link Road in the city late on November 9. The next day she was handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and rehabilitated at Basundhara. Police, however, launched an investigation into the case on Saturday after CWC lodged an FIR in this connection.
Basing on the report of CWC, a case has been registered in Madhupatna police station under sections 64 (1)/143 (4)/144 (1)/3 (5) of BNS, section 6 of POCSO Act and relevant sections of Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.