BERHAMPUR: Continuing its crackdown on human trafficking, Gajapati police rescued five minor girls from Hyderabad in Telangana on Tuesday.
The girls were allegedly trafficked from the bordering areas of Rayagada, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts on the pretext of providing employment outside the state.
The incident came to light after a woman sarpanch of Adava lodged a complaint with police alleging trafficking of women and minor girls from the area. Based on the complaint, Adava police registered a case on August 17 and launched an investigation under the supervision of R Udaygiri SDPO Rakesh Sahoo.
During investigation, police received information that the girls had been taken to Hyderabad. The alleged involvement of one Rajkumar Bastray in the trafficking and transportation of the girls was also ascertained. A special police team was subsequently sent to Hyderabad where it conducted searches and verification at multiple locations and traced all the five minors.
Sahoo said the rescued girls belong to economically disadvantaged tribal communities and had reportedly dropped out of school. Preliminary investigation indicated that their Aadhaar details were allegedly manipulated to show them as adults, facilitating their trafficking and exploitation for monetary gain.
Police arrested the prime accused and alleged mastermind of the trafficking racket and produced him in court at Hyderabad with a prayer to take him on remand.
The SDPO said arrangements are being made for medical examination, safe return and rehabilitation of the rescued girls. They are likely to reach Odisha by Thursday evening. Further investigation is underway to identify others involved in the trafficking network, rescue other victims and apprehend the remaining accused, he added.
The interstate rescue operation, carried out under Operation Udaan - Bringing Our Daughters Back Home, was part of Gajapati police’s efforts to combat human trafficking and protect the rights, dignity and safety of women and children.
On August 20, Gajapati police had rescued five minor boys of R Udayagiri area from Baptala district in Andhra Pradesh.