Delhi, J&K cops bust trafficking racket; 3 minors rescued, 4 held
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), in coordination with Jammu and Kashmir Police, has dismantled a major human trafficking network operating between Delhi-NCR and Srinagar. Three minor girls were rescued and four accused arrested in the operation.
The case began with a complaint filed at Bhalswa Dairy Police Station regarding the kidnapping of two girls, aged 15 and 13. An FIR was registered and later transferred to the AHTU for specialised investigation. Through technical surveillance, the victims were traced to Srinagar, recovered on June 15, and brought back to Delhi. Their statements before the Child Welfare Committee revealed they had been lured from Old Delhi Railway Station, taken via Jammu, and forced into unpaid domestic work in Srinagar.
On August 14, a joint team arrested two accused: Salim-ul-Rehman alias Wasim (38) of Ganderbal, Srinagar, and Suraj (31) of Begampur, Delhi. Investigations showed that Salim ran a placement agency, V.A. Manpower Pvt. Ltd., in Srinagar, through which he trafficked nearly 500 people over two years, charging commissions per victim. Suraj worked as a transporter, supplying trafficked persons and naming Delhi-based agents who sourced victims from railway stations.
Further raids in Srinagar on August 19 led to the arrests of Talib of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and Satnam Singh alias Sardar Ji of Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Another 16-year-old girl was rescued during the operation. Police also recovered a forged Uttar Pradesh Police identity card from Talib, allegedly used to evade detection.
The syndicate relied on touts and placement agents to target vulnerable minors and labourers, trafficking them as bonded labourers and domestic workers. Victims were sold for Rs 20,000–25,000 in the case of men and Rs 40,000–60,000 for women.
Police said associates of the racket included Shahbaz Khan, Naresh, Rohit Pandey, and Sohail Ahmad of Sunaaz Placement Agency in Srinagar. The probe has also uncovered forged documents, hawala transactions through UPI apps, and vehicles used in the trade.
Officers stated that the operation has exposed a deeply entrenched trafficking network, and further arrests and rescues are expected as investigations continue.
