6 held as cop bust interstate child trafficking network in Rajasthan; 10 rescued

FIve persons were arrested and unity surmise was detained in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar territory on fri after police force busted an interstate human trafficking network allegedly involved in trafficking minor girls. Ten girls were rescued, police said.Jhalawar superintendent of police Amit Kumar on Saturday said the gang targeted poor families, primarily from the Kanjar community, and purchased girls at a very young age. “The children were kept under the gang’s control until they reached around 11 years of age, after which they were sold for prostitution in cities such as Mumbai for lakhs of rupees,” police said.“Most of the rescued girls are between four and five years old,” Kumar said. The victims were allegedly trafficked for prostitution in Mumbai, several districts of Rajasthan, including Jhalawar, Tonk and Bundi, and Gwalior in Madhya PradeshAccording to the SP, the gang targeted poor families burdened by debt by allegedly luring them with promises of jobs for their daughters and providing financial assistance.Investigations revealed that written agreements were executed with the families. The agreements reportedly said that loans would be waived under certain conditions and family members would have to repay double or triple the amount if a girl escaped from the traffickers’ custody.Also Read:UP govt approves ₹2 lakh aid for minor trafficking and assault victim in VaranasiPolice said brokers pocketed most of the money earned from trafficking, while only a small portion went to their families.The gang allegedly used forged Aadhaar cards to pass off the minor girls as adults over the age of 18.Among the rescued girls, four are from Jhalawar, while the rest are from Tonk and Bundi districts of Rajasthan, Kumar said.Following information about the trafficking network, police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) along with three additional teams to crack down on the racket and rescue the victims.The alleged kingpin of the gang has been identified as Ramkanya Bai, a resident of Bundi district, who was reportedly in contact with brokers involved in the trafficking network.The arrested accused have been identified as Ramkanya Bai (53), Bhim Shankar Kanjar (22), Ankush Kanjar (26), Ramesh Kanjar (55), all residents of Bundi district, and Sanni Kanjar (40), a resident of Jhalawar district. Another suspect has been detained from Bundi district.Three others are absconding. They have been identified as Mohammed Hanif (40) of Karnataka, Anwar Sheikh (40) of Bihar and Rajesh Dable (37) of Mumbai. Police teams are searching for them, Kumar said.The accused have been booked under provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act and other relevant laws. After being produced before a court, the arrested accused were remanded to five days of police custody.