Seven minor Pahariya girls rescued, traffickers escape

RANCHI: Pakur police rescued seven minors of Paharia tribe—a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG)—who were being trafficked to Chennai via Kolkata to work as domestic helps, officials said on Friday.

Pakur superintendent of police, Shailendra Prasad Barnwal said that government railway police (GRP) at Howrah had detained a trafficker who was transporting the seven minors.

However, the man later escaped who was nabbed by the GRP for his suspicious movements.

Earlier on December 3, police had arrested two traffickers and rescued 14 members of the Paharia community who were being trafficked to metro cities and Bangladesh.

On being questioned, the minors revealed their residential address at Littipara in the district.

“A police team then brought them to Pakur on Thursday, following which their statements were recorded before a magistrate. The minors were then handed over to Child Welfare Committee on Friday,” he said.

Vinod Pramanik, CWC member at Pakur said that the minors were promised a salary of Rs 8,000 each month to work as domestic helps in Chennai. The parents of the minors knew that they were taken to Chennai, he said.

Pramanik said that lack of a stable source of livelihood along with illiteracy was a major reason for parents agreeing to allow traffickers to transport their minor children to various metropolitan cities across the country.