To ‘address’ skewed sex ratio gap, girls sold to bachelors

To fulfill the adverse gap of the sex ratio in areas like Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, a gang of human trafficking, now in police net, was active in New Delhi who used to sell girls to prospective grooms for a consideration amounting to Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000.

Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested three persons including the kingpin and rescued two girls including one minor. Seven more girls have been identified who were sold by them in the recent past. The accused have been identified as Arvind (26), the kingpin, Narender (30) and Sandeep (22).

“The gang is involved in trafficking of poor girls belonging to Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar from railway stations in Delhi to UP and other states,” Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) said. According to the official, on November 21, a report regarding a girl going missing belonging to Gumla, Jharkhand, was lodged at Old Delhi Railway Station. Later on, a compliant in this regard was also received by the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Crime Branch and a team was constituted under the supervision of DCP Rajeev Sharma for in-depth investigation to trace the girl. The facts were verified and after gathering necessary information, the missing girl was recovered from the house of one Sandeep. On further inquiry, it was revealed that the girl along with her cousin was kidnapped by one Arvind and his wife Anjali from Old Delhi Railway Station. They had forcibly solemnized her marriage with the Sandeep.

On sustained interrogation, accused Sandeep and Arvind disclosed that they have kidnapped about 12 girls hailing from Jharkhand and West Bengal from railway stations in Delhi since April this year and sold them off for forced marriages with some persons in the areas of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Baghpat, UP. “The buyers were those who could not get a bride in their community due to adverse sex ratio and other reasons. It was also established that the girls were sold to the prospective grooms at amounts ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000,” the official said.

It was further revealed that this gang was operating since the last six months and used to lure/kidnap poor girls found at New/Old Delhi railway stations. A team was again sent to UP to locate and trace out the other abducted/ trafficked girls and the other persons involved in the trafficking. During one such raid, one minor girl belonging to West Bengal aged about 14 years was also rescued and whereabouts of seven other such girls have been traced and three other girls are yet to be traced,” he added. 

“From the investigation conducted so far, it has been revealed that this gang is involved in kidnapping/abduction of poor girls from Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations, who come to Delhi in search of job. They would operate at railway stations in wee hours and induce/lure the poor girls particularly those hailing from Jharkhand and West Bengal. Initially, they would offer them some attractive jobs and when the girls would fall in their trap, they would sell them off to various persons for forcibly marrying them,” said the official.