Lucknow: In a grim reflection of a broken social order, a 24-year-old woman arrested in an inter-state trafficking racket was once sold as a minor bride for Rs 50,000, only to become later on a conduit for the system that once consumed her.Sonam and her husband Bhupendra Chaudhary (30) were arrested from Rajasthan’s Kota district after sustained police raids, nearly a week after Lucknow Police busted the gang and rescued two minor sisters from Mohanlalganj who were being trafficked for forced marriage.Investigators say Sonam’s journey mirrors the cycle of exploitation that fuels such rackets. A native of Bhagalpur in Bihar, she told police she was barely 15 when her parents and uncle sold her to Bhupendra in 2017 for Rs 50,000. What followed was not an escape from the situation but a transformation shaped by circumstance and opportunity.“After settling in Bambori area of Kota, she realised there was a significant shortage of girls for marriage due to a skewed sex ratio, which created steady demand,” a police officer said. Over time, survival blurred into complicity.According to her statement, families in Bihar often remained silent about such arrangements, as the transactions spared them the burden of arranging dowry. Meanwhile, buyers in Rajasthan are willing to pay substantial amounts for brides. By 2018, Sonam had begun sourcing girls from her native region and gradually expanded the network’s reach to UP.Police said the couple has trafficked over 12 girls from across Bihar and UP to Rajasthan since then.A key link in the network was Priya Patel alias Sheela, based in Rae Bareli, whom Sonam met at a wedding in 2020. “Sonam told her that arranging marriages for poor and vulnerable girls in Rajasthan could fetch substantial money and offered her a share,” police said.Priya, who had been living in a rented house in Rae Bareli for past two years with her partner Anurag Yadav, allegedly became an active recruiter. Along with associates, including Mohammad Akhtar, the group specifically targeted girls who were orphaned or from economically weaker backgrounds, assuming they were less likely to approach authorities.Investigators said Priya and Anurag played a central role on the ground. They would identify vulnerable girls, befriend them with small gestures — outings, gifts and new clothes — and gradually win their trust. Once persuaded, the girls were taken away under various pretexts.Before being transported to Rajasthan, the girls’ photographs were sent via WhatsApp to Sonam and Bhupendra, based in Kota’s Bambori area. ‘Approval’ was followed by instructions to bring the girls, who would then be married off in exchange for money. Priya told police she earned Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per girl.In the Mohanlalganj case, investigators said Priya used a juvenile acquaintance to approach two minor targets. The contact was established through a relative living near the girls. The minors were lured with the promise of being reunited with their mother, who had been missing for years.The case surfaced on May 12, when a local resident reported her granddaughters, aged 16 and 12, missing. Acting on leads, police arrested Anurag Yadav, Mohammad Akhtar, Priya Patel and a juvenile on Jun 4, rescuing the girls.
