Two minor girls rescued from Bikaner, one from Nalanda; 4 traffickers held

Nalanda Superintendent of Police (SP) Bharat Soni said the case came to light on April 9, when two cousins aged 13 and 14 from the Rahui police station area went missing.

Bihar Police arrested four traffickers, including a couple from Rajasthan, and rescued three minor girls, busting a human trafficking gang operating in Nalanda district, officials said.

Representative image. (HT Photo)

The gang allegedly lured, brainwashed, and sold minor girls for forced marriages in Rajasthan and Haryana.

Nalanda Superintendent of Police (SP) Bharat Soni said the case came to light on April 9, when two cousins aged 13 and 14 from the Rahui police station area went missing. Their family lodged an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unknown persons.

During the preliminary investigation, police suspected human trafficking and formed a special team led by a Circle Inspector to trace the girls and apprehend the accused.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided a house in the New Town police station area of Bikaner, Rajasthan, and arrested Rajesh Kumar alias Raju (35) and his wife Anjali Kumari, residents of Chittorgarh district. The missing girls were rescued from their possession.

The accused were brought to Nalanda on transit remand and are being interrogated.

During questioning, Raju revealed the involvement of Dhanwanti Chouhan alias Sobha (30), a resident of Balchand Bigha village under Noorsarai police station in Nalanda. Police said Sobha had allegedly sold the girls for ₹3 lakh.

Sobha was subsequently arrested from her residence. Her associate, Purshottam Kumar Chouhan, a resident of Prabhu Bigha under Manpur police station, was arrested from Rajgir Brahmkund.

During a search of Purshottam’s house, police rescued another minor girl, aged 16, who had reportedly been abducted from the New Rajendra Nagar police station area in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh. An FIR regarding her disappearance had been registered on April 30.

The Chhattisgarh girl has been handed over to the Child Welfare Committee, and her parents have been informed.

Police said the motive and criminal history of the accused are under investigation.

According to officials, one of the rescued girls had travelled to Rajasthan earlier with her father, who works there as a labourer. After returning to Nalanda, she insisted on meeting her mother, who remained in Rajasthan. On April 9, she left home with her cousin and boarded a train.

During the journey, they met Sobha, who gained their trust by promising to reunite them with the girl’s mother. She instead took them to Bikaner, lured them with food, and handed them over to Raju. In return, Sobha’s associate collected ₹3 lakh from him.

Police are searching for other members of the trafficking network. They are also investigating how the Chhattisgarh minor reached Nalanda.

Investigations revealed that Sobha had allegedly lured and trafficked several girls to other states for forced marriages.

In a related case, on February 26, a minor girl from Kaimur was lured on the pretext of a job and sold for ₹2 lakh to a man in Sikar, Rajasthan, who forced her into marriage. She was later rescued from Khariyabad Basti in Churu district. The accused, Subhash Bhamu, was arrested. During interrogation, he revealed that Mahesh Kumar had taken ₹2 lakh from him in exchange for the girl.