Maha: Human trafficking victim rescued after 10 years

Chandrapur: The Chandrapur police in Maharashtra have rescued a woman 10 years after she was abducted and 'sold' to a man in Haryana, an official said on Thursday.

The police arrested two women on December 4 for abducting the victim in 2010 when she was just 11 years old and selling her to a man in Haryana, sub-inspector Chanda Dandwate of Ramnagar police station said. The woman, who had been sold at least seven times in the last 10 years, was sexually exploited during this period resulting in the birth of two children, she added. The victim, who was 11 at the time, was playing near a temple in the Bengali Camp area of Maharashtra's Chandrapur city, when she was drugged and kidnapped by Janhvi Roy and Savitri Majumdhar, the official said.

She was first taken to Panipat in Haryana, where she was sold to a man, who confined her at a farm house and sexually exploited her, the official added.

The victim was also raped by other men in the man's family, as a result of which she gave birth to two children, Dandwate said.

The woman was last sold to one Dharmavir at Fatehabad in Haryana, who kept her in a rented room, she said.

It was here that the owner of the accommodation found something suspicious about her and informed the police, following which she was rescued.

A team from Ramnagar police reached Fatehabad and brought the woman back to Chandrapur, the official said, adding that the Haryana police have also arrested 10 persons in this regard. The police have started investigating cases of girls who have been reported missing in the last few years, Dandwate said.

The accused women have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, she said.