PROBE HINTS AT INT’L LINK TO ROHINGYA WOMEN TRAFFICKING

LUCKNOW: Initial investigations by UP Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) has hinted at an international link to the Rohingya women trafficking racket that was busted after the arrest of three men from Delhi-bound Brahmputra Express train at Ghaziabad on Tuesday, said senior police officials privy to the investigation on Wednesday.

The officials said two women from Myanmar, aged 16 and 18, were rescued after arrest of three accused identified as Noor Muhammad, a native of Bangladesh but presently living in Tripura, along with Rehmatullah, a native of Myanmar residing in Jammu and Shabi-ur-rehman alias Shabiullah, also a native of Myanmar.

A senior police official said primary investigations had revealed that the gang was also involved in sending Rohingya women to Malaysia on Indian identities. He said the ATS had information of over 5 women who were sent to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries via India. He said the accused used India as a transit route for international women trafficking.

Showing serious concern, the official said the police remand of the three accused had been sought to interrogate them further. He said they would be certainly having helping hands in India who arranged fake identities and passports of Rohingya women to send them to Southeast Asiancountries, apparently to push them into flesh trade.

He said the two rescued women had been sent to a Lucknow based shelter home that functioned under state women and child commission. He said the ATS would also question the two women after taking permission from a local court to know how they were trapped and also about other women who fell in trap of the trafficking racket. He said a language translator had been arranged to communicate with them as they were unable to understand Hindi or English.

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked for the relaunch of Mission Shakti, a state government programme for women’s safety and empowerment, with renewed vigour.

The state government had launched the Mission Shakti programme in October 2020 during the Navratri festival and it continued till April 2021.

Women’s safety and empowerment were among the state government’s top priorities, the chief minister said at a Covid-19 review meeting, adding that the Mission Shakti programme had given positive results.

He also said women’s selfhelp groups, BC Sakhis (women banking correspondents) paved the way for women empowerment.

Schemes like Kanya Sumangala and Saamuhik Vivah (mass marriage) programmes