Delhi Police busts human trafficking racket; 3 minors rescued

Delhi Police has busted a human trafficking racket that exploited vulnerable minors and labourers at railway stations in Delhi and transported them to Jammu and Kashmir for forced, unpaid domestic work and bonded labour, officials said on Wednesday.

Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the case, while three minors have been rescued, police said.

The racket involved a vast network of touts and placement agents, who targeted vulnerable minors and labourers at railway stations.

According to DCP (Outer North) Hareshwar Swami, the syndicate charged Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per male victim and Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per female victim.

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The accused have been identified as Salim-ul-Rehman alias Wasim (38) from Ganderbal in J-K, Suraj (31) from Begampur in Delhi, Md Talib from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, and Satnam Singh alias Sardar Ji from Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Salim trafficked nearly 500 people over the last two years, charging hefty commissions for each victim, the DCP said.

Talib was found carrying a forged identity card of a UP Police sub-inspector, which he used to evade arrest and ensure smooth transit of the trafficked victims, the officer said.

“The breakthrough came after a complaint was lodged at the Bhalswa Dairy police station regarding the kidnapping of two girls aged 15 and 13 by unidentified persons. Technical surveillance traced the girls to Srinagar,” Swami said.

A police team rescued both the minors from Srinagar on June 15 and brought them to Delhi. Their statements recorded before the child welfare committee revealed that they were lured from the Old Delhi railway station and transported to Srinagar, where they were forced into unpaid domestic work, the officer said.

Based on the victims’ statements, police arrested Wasim and Suraj on August 14 from Prahlad Vihar.

“Salim allegedly ran an agency called VA Manpower Pvt Ltd in Srinagar. He admitted during interrogation that he trafficked nearly 500 people over the last two years, charging hefty commissions for each victim,” the officer said.

Suraj revealed that he acted as a transporter working under Delhi-based agents, and named several associates operating around the Old Delhi railway station.

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Based on the disclosures, police conducted a raid in Srinagar on August 19, arrested Talib and Satnam, and rescued a 16-year-old boy, the officer said.

The role of the other gang members identified as Shahbaz Khan, Naresh, Rohit Pandey and Sohail Ahmad are under investigation, he added.

Police are also probing UPI transactions and tracking vehicles used for transporting the victims.