After she boarded a wrong train and ended up in Delhi, a 15-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped multiple times for several months by traffickers.
Her ordeal girl fortunately ended on February 2, thanks to the alertness of Shani Srivastava who took the effort and kept the girl safe at a labourer's house and informed the Delhi Commission for Women helpline next morning.
Srivastava will be awarded by DCW on March 8, i.e. International Woman's Day for his selfless attitude and courageous role in rescuing the minor.
Last October, the girl from Chattisgarh – who was going to visit her relatives – mistakenly boarded a train bound for Delhi. At the Delhi railway station, a man selling water bottles kidnapped her to Sarai Kale Khan. He then raped her and sold her to a man in Rajasthan's Sawai Madhepur for Rs 30,000.
The second man married her, sexually assaulted her and brought her to Faridabad. The girl later managed to escape and reach Delhi.
However, she was caught by the people who had earlier sold her. They abducted her and confined her in a godown near Nizamuddin railway station.
She was then gang-raped multiple times by the trafficker and his accomplices, but she again managed to escape from their clutches and reached the slums near Humayun's Tomb.
Shani Srivastava, a resident of Saket, was getting construction work done near Humayun's tomb at 11.30 pm on February 2. He saw the girl sitting in a corner with her suitcase and crying, while a few men were teasing her.
"The girl seemed scared to death and was not even communicating properly. I only wanted to save her and give her a shelter until someone came to her rescue," said Srivastava.
As soon as he approached the girl, the men around her fled. He comforted the girl and took her to safety at the house of one of the labourer's working in the construction.
However, the next morning, a woman named Haseena, who was involved with the trafficker, caught hold of the girl and forcefully tried to take her away. Srivastava was informed about it and he immediately reached the spot to rescue girl.
He prevented Haseena and her accomplices from escaping until the police finally arrived.
Srivastava said: "The woman was using abusive language and tried to escape. I and some labourers somehow managed to stop her from fleeing.
"I knew about DCW's 181 helpline from the news and advertisements and informed them. Within no time, they reached the spot with counselors to help the girl," he added.