Delhi Police busted a human trafficking racket and rescued 16 bonded labourers. A senior police officer said that the Special Staff of the Central district has arrested three persons.
Mandeep Singh Randhawa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) said, "The arrested persons have been identified as Rambilas Paswan (32), Anita Paswan (26 )and (3) Suresh Chakma (27)
Rambilas, the kingpin has been running this racket for past ten years.
A senior police officer said that on August 17 this year, a team of Sub Division Magistrate Patel Nagar rescued seven minors and nine majors.
The officer said, "All the rescued persons hail from remote areas of Assam, Tripura and Jharkhand. In their statements before the Sub Divisional Magistrate, the rescued persons stated that they were taken to Delhi on the pretext of providing them with good jobs and handsome salaries but instead they were subjected to severe mental and physical cruelty. They were neither allowed to go out nor were any wages paid to them,"
A team comprising of local police along with the labour Department, Health Department, NGOs and Officers from Assam and Jharkhand Bhawan raided Ranjit Nagar.
"A raid was conducted at the premises of RB Placement Agency engaged in the business of domestic help provider in Ranjit Nagar and as a result of the operation, seven bonded labours including two minors and five majors were rescued. The alleged agency was being run by Rambilas Paswan and at the time of raid, the owner was not found present in his office," said the senior officer.
Following which, police registered a case under relevant sections of the IPC and Bonded labour System (Abolition) Act and the JJ Act at Ranjit Nagar.After this raid, several raids were conducted.
On the basis of statements of the victims, it was established that Ms. Anita Paswan, wife of Rambilas Paswan, agency owner was also involved in the practice of forceful bonded labor and she was arrested on August 19.
However, the main accused Rambilas Paswan was evading arrest. Based on local intelligence and electronic surveillance, police got a tip off on October 13 that Rambilas is in Ranjit Nagar.
Police was able to succesfully trace him and he was arrested. At the instance of Rambilas, Suresh Chakma was also arrested from Munirka village. His role was to induce people in Assam and Tripura with fake promises and transport them to Delhi where Rambilas used to take their custody and subject them to forceful bonded labor.