That Haridwar- universally revered as a holy city- is turning into a place with human trafficking has come to the fore again as the anti-human trafficking cell of Haridwar police rescued an 11- year- old girl on Sunday evening when she was all set to sold into prostitution. In course of interrogation of two persons arrested in connection with the case, police found that they were Sanjay and his sister-in-law Urmila from Kankhal and they have been conducting the trafficking business together from Haridwar for the past couple of years.
Though the minor, thus rescued, failed to inform much to police she told them that she hails from Nalanda district of Bihar with her parents working as labourers in a brick kiln based in Hisar district of Haryana. What she further told was that while she along with her 13- year- old cousin sister was going to Hisar they were entrapped in the trafficking net. While her cousin was sold in Delhi she was brought to Haridwar by a man who later sold her to one Urmila, a resident of Raja Garden area in Kankhal, who is into human trafficking business along with her brother–in- law Sanjay. Speaking to The Pioneer, SP city Mamta Vohra said, “Investigation is on and we have sent a police team to Delhi. The medical check-up of the girl was done on Monday. Urmila is a hardcore trafficker. We hope to gather more information from her which would help us bust the racket.”
After police were tipped by a local informer a raid was conducted at Jagjeetpur village under Kankhal police station on Sunday evening during which the 11- year- old girl was rescued.
Head of the anti- human trafficking cell, Sadhna Tyagi said, “The survivor disclosed that when she was waiting for a train at a railway station in Delhi along with her cousin, they were approached by a man who said that as the train they were waiting for would not come that day they should spend the night in their house and board the train the following day. However, what happened was that while her cousin was sold in Delhi she was brought to Haridwar and sold to Urmila for Rs 1 lakh. We have learnt that she was all set to be sold to another by Urmila for a higher price when she was rescued in course of the raid.”
The girl was sent to the district hospital for medical examination. She would soon be handed over to the Child Welfare Committee and would be kept under its care till her parents are traced. To trace her parents, police are learnt to have contacted Bihar police.