LUCKNOW: Ambedkar Nagar Police on Monday busted an alleged interstate human trafficking racket, arrested seven accused and rescued an abducted woman who was allegedly being taken to Rajasthan and Haryana on the pretext of marriage before being forced into prostitution. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Prachi Singh by a joint team of Akbarpur Kotwali Police, the Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) Unit, SWAT and Surveillance teams as part of a special drive against human trafficking, crimes against women and children.According to police, on July 6, the AHT Unit and other police teams were conducting checks for child labour, begging and human trafficking when they received specific intelligence that a group was waiting near Tata Motors at Khiddirpur on the Baskhari Road to transport a young woman to Rajasthan after luring her with the promise of marriage.Acting on the tip-off, police surrounded the area and arrested Babulal (60), Mohanlal (58), Narendra Kumar (27), Beeraram (45), Nasruddin (21), Chandrakala alias Poonam (35) and Usha (40). The abducted woman was rescued unharmed during the operation.“During interrogation, the accused allegedly revealed the modus operandi of the trafficking syndicate. Police said the gang targeted economically weak, vulnerable and orphaned young women, identifying families that were unlikely to resist or pursue legal action because of their financial and social circumstances,” said Prachi Singh, SP Ambedkarnagar. Police alleged that local members of the network lured women with promises of marriage into affluent families. The gang then allegedly forged identity documents changed the victims’ names and staged fake marriage ceremonies, with its own members posing as the groom, relatives and wedding guests to avoid suspicion.Police said after the sham marriages, the women were taken to Rajasthan’s Pali district under the guise of travelling to their matrimonial homes. A female accomplice allegedly accompanied the victims throughout the journey so that, if questioned, authorities would believe they were newly married brides travelling with family members.Investigators further alleged that the gang would halt near railway stations or bus terminals for a day or two before continuing the journey to avoid attracting attention.Women allegedly sold for Rs2 lakh eachPolice alleged that once the women reached Rajasthan or Haryana, they were forced into prostitution against their will, while forged identity documents were used to conceal their real identities and prevent their families or police from tracing them.Police claimed the accused admitted during interrogation that the syndicate sold each trafficked woman for Rs 2 lakh, with Rs 1 lakh paid in cash and the remaining ₹1 lakh transferred through bank accounts. Investigators recovered Rs 40,000 in cash from the possession of accused Usha, which they suspect is part of the proceeds generated from the alleged trafficking racket.An FIR has been registered at Akbarpur Kotwali Police Station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 9 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
