Minor help torture: Police search placement agency in Delhi to gather details about other girls

A day after a placement agency owner and his partner were arrested on charges of human trafficking -- the 17-year-old girl they placed with a Gurugram couple was allegedly assaulted, tortured and sexually harassed by her employers at their home in New Colony -- police on Saturday searched the placement agency office in Delhi’s Raja Garden to gather details about the other minor girls that the duo placed in other homes in Delhi-NCR

A day after a placement agency owner and his partner were arrested on charges of human trafficking -- the 17-year-old girl they placed with a Gurugram couple was allegedly assaulted, tortured and sexually harassed by her employers at their home in New Colony -- police on Saturday searched the placement agency office in Delhi’s Raja Garden to gather details about the other minor girls that the duo placed in other homes in Delhi-NCR.

Minor help torture: Police search placement agency in Delhi to gather details about other girls

Police said the victim’s 20-year-old sister was also placed by the same placement agency owner with a family in NCR, and the girls’ family have no knowledge of her whereabouts.

According to the police, arrested suspects Arun Kumar Turi (30) of Jharkhand and Manish Nag (32) of Odisha were running the placement agency together and also shared the profits, but they never gave correct information to the family members of the girls they place and misled them.

The Gurugram-based couple -- Manish Khattar and his wife Kamaljeet Kaur -- were arrested on Wednesday on charges of assaulting, torturing and sexually harassing the girl.

Manoj Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (Udyog Vihar), said the sister of victim was placed in Faridabad but the family does not have her contact details. “We have conducted raids in Turi’s agency, “Nehru Group Services”, in Delhi’s Raja Garden. Both suspects were produced before the court on Saturday and were taken on two days’ police remand. We had taken them to Delhi and scanned all documents and files so get the details of girls placed by them in Delhi-NCR,” he said.

Kumar said preliminary investigation has revealed that Turi’s was the most popular placement agent in Jharkhand and Bihar and used to place at least 15 girls with families in a month. “He revealed that his agency is not registered as he used to change his office every few months. Nag used to work in housekeeping at commercial building in Qutab Enclave and was in touch with victim’s uncle. It is also suspected that uncle received a share of the commission from Turi for placing the girl with the Gurugram couple,” he said.

Deepak Saharan, deputy commissioner of police (West), said, “We have scanned their digital payment applications to know all their transactions as that will give us an idea about their commission. Turi is a proclaimed offender; he has been involved in human trafficking since the past many months,” he said.

The cyber crime police team is scanning call detail records of Turi to know who all were in touch with him, said police.

ACP Kumar said the family members of the victim were regularly in touch with her uncle. “He lied to her mother that girl was happy and saving up her salary every month. But he never met or spoke with her. He is under police scanner,” he said.

Jharkhand police is still camping in Gurugram and will return once the victim is declared fit to travel. “We are still verifying facts and collecting details against the placement agent to know the details of girls he placed with families. We will contact all of them one by one,” said Pankaj Kumar, sub-inspector of anti-human trafficking unit of Jharkhand.

The victim is still undergoing treatment and a team of doctors are monitoring her diet and improvement in health.

Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer (CMO), Gurugram, said the girl has shown sign of improvement. “Her wounds are healing,” he said.

Victim’s mother is with her in the hospital and said that she is waiting to return to her home town. “I will not send my daughter for work. Now she will study and stay with us. She has suffered enough,” she said.