Within days of taking up the investigation the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) discovered a well networked pan-India syndicate which caters to potential 'buyers' in Haryana, a state known for it skewed sex ratio.
Earlier this month a 24-year-old woman from West Bengal approached Delhi police and claimed that she and her cousin(17) were drugged and trafficked to Delhi by some people who later sold them as 'bride slave' in Haryana.
Within days of taking up the investigation the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) discovered a well networked pan-India syndicate which caters to potential 'buyers' in Haryana, a state known for it skewed sex ratio. The 'rates' at which these women were being sold were found to be in the range of Rs60,000-80,000.
While the AHTU has so far rescued four women and arrested a total of five people who are allegedly a part of the syndicate, senior officials of the Delhi Police believe that investigators are expecting dozens of similar cases in which women from Bengal, Assam and Bihar are being trafficked. What has also come as a surprise to the investigators is the involvement of several advocates who allegedly provide their services to the potential buyers 'legalising' what police believe is nothing less than a violent sex crime.
According to a senior police officer, the women are forced to work on the fields, cowsheds, household and are also coerced into developing sexual relationships with their so-called husbands.
"Each case is different from the other. Some of the women were brought to the National Capital on the pretext of a good job, some were drugged and transported and yet there are cases in which the middlemen posed as a suitor and proposed to the family of the girl only with an intention to sell her off in Haryana," said Joint Commissioner of Police, Ravindra Yadav.
"There is not much of a pattern to it except the women are really poor. However this particular gang only targeted women from the minority community. This maybe because one of the prime accused himself belongs to the minority community and is a resident of North Dinajpur in West Bengal," Yadav said. The prime accused has been identified as Syed Ali alias Raju, who the police said had been arrested by the Delhi Police for the same crime but was released on bail.
He also said that the women trapped in the so-called marriage are confined forcefully leaving them with little opportunity to escape. In most of the cases, the women don't even know in which part of Haryana they are.
The 24-year-old woman, who blew the lid of the case was able to escape with the help of a man in her locality. It was found that the victim was sold at Rewari by the middleman named Ram Bhavan to one Ashok (35). Ashok had solemnised the forced marriage with the victim on June 19, Mahender Garh Court after paying Rs80,000, police said.
"It was revealed that Syed Ali, Wasabi Barman and Bisavjeet had initially drugged both the victims and brought them to Delhi. Both of them were first taken to the house of one Laxmi and her husband Ram Bhavan where the deals were finalised.
"The minor cousin of the complainant, aged 17 years was recovered from Bupania village of district Jhajjar, Haryana. She also confirmed that they were trafficked to Delhi by accused and others. On June 21, she was sold to one Pramod who is a resident of village Bupania in Haryana, who solemnized a forced marriage with her," Yadav said and added that police is currently looking for more associates of the accused including lawyers in Haryana.
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 "Pan India syndicate selling women for Rs 80,000 busted")
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