Couple, 3 Others Held in UP for Trafficking Minor Girls From Assam, Forcing them into Prostitution
The accused used to select girls from economically weaker families from north-eastern states.
An interstate child trafficking gang was busted in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow on Thursday night and five people, including a couple from Assam, were arrested. Police have also rescued two minor girls who too belonged to Assam.
According to Qasim Abdi, the additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) of the East zone of Lucknow, for the past many days the police were getting reports of minor girls being brought from outside to the Gomtinagar area of the city. Cops investigated the matter and kept an eye on the suspects.
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They eventually nabbed one Faizuddin and his wife from under the Sahar over-bridge in Vipul Khand area when they were seen involved in some suspicious activities. On questioning them, they accepted that they used to bring minor girls from Assam and push them into prostitution. They used to select children from economically weaker families from northeastern states and trick their parents by telling them that their daughters will work as domestic help in big cities. However, after bringing them to Lucknow, they used to smuggle them for Rs 1 lakh each.
The assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Shweta Srivastava said that the minors were sold in different parts of the country.
Police said the night the couple were arrested, they were supposed to sell the two girls to one Kanchan who lived in the Ghazipur area, but their deal was not finalised. The cops caught Kanchan and her two other accomplices who were identified as Sunny Gupta and Rahul Gautam. While Gupta belongs to Murari Nagar, Gautam is a resident of Indira Nagar in Lucknow. One more youth of the gang has been absconding and search teams have been formed to nab him, said the ACP.
Meanwhile, police have informed the family members of the freed teenagers and preparations are being made to safely send them back to their homes.
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