Girl, sold as bride, rescued from Mathura
It is because of the coordination between the UP and West Bengal police that the girl was rescued. They conducted a search in almost every part of Delhi-NCR and got a clue that a young woman was in Mathura. RISHI KANT, activist, Shakti Vahini NGO
NEW DELHI: Trafficked from West Bengal, an 18-year old woman’s ordeal ended six days ago after she was rescued from Mathura by the UP and West Bengal Police. She was sold as a slave bride in UP’s Aligarh.
NGOs claim that all these deals take place in Delhi, which has become the transit point for traffickers. They bring women and minors from poor states to Delhi and here clinch deals to sell them as slaves or brides to families in western UP and Haryana, where sex ratio is skewed.
She was trafficked on the pretext of marriage and the person sold her off as a slave bride.
“It is because of the coordination between the police of the two states that the girl was rescued. They conducted a search in almost every part of Delhi-NCR and ultimately got a clue that a young woman was in Mathura. Aligarh SSP and UP home secretary coordinated the whole operation and save the girl,” said Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini NGO, which was also part of the operation.
The girl was lured by another woman in her village, who herself was a victim of trafficking. On November 13, they reached Hathras railway station, where they were received by two persons. They took them to an unidentified village and sold them to two different men.
The woman, who was sold to an elderly man, jumped off the bike she was travelling in and raised an alarm after which, local villagers handed them over to the police. “She was sent back to West Bengal. Family members of the 18-year-old girl filed an FIR asking police to interrogate the woman as their daughter had gone with her. She revealed all details and police formed a team to rescue the girl. On November 23, the team reached Aligarh alongwith the woman. But there was little clue as the trafficker and buyers had fled,” he added.
Police took the help of the village Pradhan and information regarding the trafficker was gathered. “Finally, on November 28, the girl was rescued from Mathura,” Rishi Kant said.