The Rourkela police have arrested a person from Kendrapada for allegedly trafficking and selling two local girls in Saudi Arabia.
The Raghunathpalli police swung into action on the basis of the complaint lodged by the two girls after their return in December 2017. Informed about the accused’s recent return from Saudi Arabia to his village in Kandrapada district for attending funeral of his father, a police team went there and arrested him on Friday. He was forwarded to court on Saturday.
According to sources, Sarmistha Mondal (24) and Bandita Sahani (36) had lodged separate complaints at the police station on December 12, 2017. They alleged that Biswajeet Mallick of Rourkela Tarkera area had taken them to engage them as hospital support staffs like nurse in Saudi Arabia at a good salary. But Mallick sold them through some broker, who engaged them as domestic helps. Sarmistha and Bandita were sold at Rs 15 lakdh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively, to the broker.
However, the two had been able to escape after contacting the Indian Embassy. Social activist Minati Debata assisted them in filing police complaints.