Human Trafficking? Cachar Police rescues four girls and one boy; “Matter under investigation,” SP

Yesterday, four girls and one boy went missing from Ujjwala Shelter Home in Silchar’s Panchayat Road. According to the spokesperson of the Home, Gaurav Das, they broke the gate and ran away from the facility. The same was reported to the Police by Das and the in-charge of Rangirkhari Police Outpost launched an operation as per the instructions of the Superintendent of Police, Ramandeep Kaur.

All five of them were rescued last night. “After we got the information around 1:00 pm yesterday, we launched an operation and all five of them were rescued. Police traced them at different parts of the district,” informed Ramandeep Kaur.

Was it an attempt at human trafficking? “The matter is under investigation and we are diligently investigating the matter to find out the circumstances under which they went missing from the shelter home. Our first target was to rescue them, which we have done and now we will investigate the possible angles,” said Kaur.

According to highly placed sources in the Police, the girls confessed that they were to be transported to Bangalore. Who wanted them to reach Bangalore and why, also if they were willingly travelling to Bangalore or they were tricked to do so? There are many loose ends to this and the Police are trying to find the answers. Officers feel, they will soon get to know what transpired.

The spokesperson of the Ujjwala Shelter Home informed that one of the five to go missing is employed as the security guard of the home. Once she became 20-year-old, the girl asked for a job and Gaurav Das says, as a goodwill gesture, the management of the Home decided to offer her the job of a security guard.

Das feels the security guard, who is also a rescued member in need planned this activity of running away with four minor inmates. Yesterday, however, Das said that they suspect the girls had boyfriends who ran them away.

“It is too early to speculate or draw conclusions. Only once the matter is investigated, we will get to know the details,” said SP Cachar, Ramandeep Kaur.

Ujjawala Homes are run under Government’s Social Welfare Scheme. Directorate of Social Welfare (Women and Child)’s Ujjawala Home is a comprehensive scheme for Prevention of Trafficking and Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-Integration of Victims of Trafficking for Commercial Sexual Exploitation.