Delhi: Businessman booked after two minors rescued from his house, placement agents too on radar
'Minors trafficked from Jharkhand, Odisha,' say cops
4 min read
After killing the victims, the man went to an isolated place behind his house to end his life, accoridng to the police. A businessman from North Delhi and two placement agents have been accused of trafficking two minor girls from Jharkhand and Odisha. The two girls were rescued on Saturday from the house of the businessman in a joint operation conducted by a nonprofit, Mission Mukti Foundation, and the Delhi Police, under the supervision of ACP Rohit Gupta, said officials, adding that he has been booked.
One of the rescued girls had been reported missing two years ago, said police. It was later found that she had been sold to a placement agency in Delhi. “The placement agents generally find young girls from impoverished backgrounds in states like Jharkhand. In this case, the girl’s mother was lured by the agents when they told her that she would get a well-paying job in Delhi. They then gave her mother Rs 45,000 to let her daughter come to Delhi with them,” said a police officer.
“The girl’s father had recently passed away, which probably added to her mother’s financial desperation,” he added. Soon after reaching Delhi, the girl’s employer allegedly stopped her from going home for leave. Her mother then approached the Integrated Rehabilitation Centre at Jharkhand Bhawan in Delhi and requested assistance.
The In-charge of the rehabilitation centre sought help from Mission Mukti Foundation, which had been searching for the girl for the last two months.
Based on further information provided by the girl’s mother, the team coordinated with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and received support from the Jharkhand Bhawan’s Anti-Trafficking Cell. “The girl had kept in touch with her mother and would call regularly…that’s how the mother had a vague idea about her location,” said the police officer.
On Saturday, Virender Kumar Singh, Director of Mission Mukti Foundation, acting under authorisation from NCPCR, filed a complaint, seeking the rescue of the girl. “While conducting the search operation at the businessman’s house, the team was able to trace another minor girl, hailing from Odisha, working in the same house. She was also rescued,” said a police official.
Medical tests were conducted on both girls on Saturday and no signs of sexual assault were found, said police. Police said they have tracked the placement agents in Delhi and are hot on their trail. “The girl’s employer was provided false documents that showed that the girl was 20. However, we have her marksheets and birth certificate which prove that the girl is still a minor. After their rescue, the girls have been housed in a hostel while they wait for their parents to receive them,” said DCP North West, Bhisham Singh.
“…The minor from Jharkhand was made to do household chores from 6 am till midnight. Two years back, when her father died, she was not allowed to go home. Whenever she sought permission to go home, the owner would scold her. They used to give her some money which was not on a regular basis,” said Virender Kumar Singh, Director of Mission Mukti Foundation. Additionally, the police added, while the girl was provided with little to no monetary support in Delhi, her mother back home in Jharkhand was receiving Rs. 5,000 every month as part of her wages. “According to the wage rate fixed for unskilled labour in Delhi, the girl is owed Rs. 13,500 as unpaid wages. We have also applied for monetary compensation for both victims,” said the police official.
The businessman has been booked under Section 143 (trafficking of a person) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation into the case is ongoing.
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