Five arrested for human trafficking, four women rescued

Five persons allegedly linked with an inter-state human trafficking racket were arrested after raids in Delhi and several districts in Haryana and four women including two minors brought by them were rescued by police, a senior police officer said today.
The five arrested in connection with the alleged racket have been identified as Syed Ali alias Raju, Ram Bhavan, Rita, Ashok and Pramod. Raju (29) is the alleged kingpin of the racket, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).
Raju, who is a native of West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district and had shifted to Delhi around 12 years ago. He allegedly brought women from his associate Suraj and sister Wasabi Barman, who operated from their native village.

In Delhi, Raju dealt with one Meena, who is suspected to be associated with several human trafficking rackets, Yadav said.
Ram Bhavan allegedly provided his residence to the alleged racket for the women to be kept there until they were sold off. His wife, Lakshmi, is also a co-accused in the case. Police teams are now looking for Suraj, Wassabi, Meena and Lakshmi, said Yadav.
The alleged racket also used to take help of lawyers and clerks at notary offices to create documents for solemnise marriage between the trafficked women and the persons to whom they were sold off, Yadav added

The four rescued women including two minors were allegedly brought to Delhi from West Bengal - either after getting them drugged or on the pretext of getting them married were later sold off at Haryana villages, the officer said.
These women were purchased mostly by unmarried men and made to work as labourers in their farmlands. They were also sexually assaulted, said the official.
"The women were from extremely poor families and the racket had found a blooming market in Haryana because of the skewed sex ratio in the state," the senior official added.