The Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) claimed to have rescued 39 Nepali girls from a hotel, Hriday Inn, in Delhi's Paharganj area by a joint team of the DCW and the city police on Wednesday. However, the Delhi Police repudiated the claims saying that all the women came in search of jobs in Delhi and it is not a case of human trafficking.
The commission said it received a tip-off and rescued the girls who had become victims of human trafficking. According to the DCW, the anti-trafficking operation started at 1 am and continued till 6 am on Wednesday. Also, it accused police of trying to cover up the matter and alleged that they were not filing an FIR.
The women panel's chairperson, Swati Maliwal, took to twitter to provide details about the operation. "The DCW received tip off and rescued 39 Nepali girls from Hotel Hriday Inn, Paharganj. Raid lasted the entire night and assistance was provided by the Delhi Police. Entire hotel had only trafficked Nepali girls who were being sent to Gulf countries. Huge trafficking racket busted!" she tweeted.
However, Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Varma said, "On the insistence of DCW, 16 girl underwent medical examination and no sexual assault was confirmed. All the girls came in the city on different dates in search of jobs and they even entered the required information in hotel register. The hotel that they were staying in Paharganj, caters to Nepali women and girls only and is run by a Nepali citizen" . "All the girls are major and were registered with the local police. They all came to Delhi on their own and their families were aware about their visit", he added.
Responding to the allegations of the DCW about the girtls being trafficked to the national Capital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central district MS Randhawa tweeted, "53 women of Nepalese origin were found staying in a hotel in Central district by team of the Delhi Police and the DCW. On verification they were found to be adults. Their statements were recorded in the presence of DCW and NGOS. 16 of them consented for medical examination",
Randhawa said further investigation is underway and statements from the women are being taken but so far no trafficking angle has emerged. Police are also contacting the Nepal embassy. Another police official, privy to the matter, said while some of the women had come in search of jobs, others were staying with relatives. The women are being sent to the Nirmal Chhaya shelter home.
The DCW, however, did not agree with the contention of the Delhi Police and issued a detailed statement. "The girls were in the age group of 18 to 30 years and trafficked from regions affected by earthquake of Nepal in the name of giving jobs. The Hotel housed only Nepali girls and no money was taken from them. Their 'agents' used to pay the hotel bills," a release from DCW stated.
It also said a girl who was rescued from the hotel informed DCW Chief that her sister has already been sent to Sri lanka by traffickers. She also informed that she has been pleading them to return her passport and allow her to leave for Nepal but all went in vain," it said.
She later claimed in another tweet that the women were being again taken to hospital for medical examination. They had undergone a medical examination this morning.
Maliwal urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take a cognisance in the matter. The DCW claimed that this was the third such operation since July 25. With the help of police, the DCW had rescued 16 women, who were allegedly trafficked from Nepal and were about to be taken to Gulf countries, from southwest Delhi's Munirka area on July 25.
On July 30, the Delhi and Varanasi Police had rescued 18 women, including 16 from Nepal, from the clutches of an international prostitution racket in Vasant Vihar.