Siliguri: After rescuing 56 women from New Jalpaiguri Police station (NJP) recently, another 34 young women were rescued from a bus near Siliguri Junction on Sunday evening by Pradhan Nagar Police. Three individuals, including two men and a woman, were arrested in the case.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Gautam Roy (28 years), a resident of Haidarpara, Siliguri, Petrus Beck (42 years), a resident of Meteli and Joysree Paul (32 years) a resident of Janata Nagar. The girls, hailing from the remote Dooars region of North Bengal, were reportedly being transported to Ranchi en route to Tamil Nadu under the pretense of job opportunities.
Acting on a tip-off from a confidential source, police intercepted the bus and questioned the accompanying individuals. When they failed to produce any legal documents or work-related papers for the women, the police detained the group. All 34 women were safely rescued and the bus was seized. This incident comes just days after 56 young women were rescued from the Capital Express train at New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Railway Station under similar circumstances. In both cases, the girls were reportedly lured with false promises of employment in southern states, raising serious concerns over organised trafficking rings operating in the region.
Biswa Chand Thakur, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) said: “We have rescued the women and the three are being questioned. Further investigation is ongoing.”