CBI told to probe role of placement agency in flesh trade

With prima-facie evidence of a “major flesh trade”, the Delhi High Court has ordered a CBI probe into the role of a prominent Rohini-based placement agency linked to many such agencies in Delhi and whose trail runs into several states. Harish V Nair reports.

The murky affairs of placement agencies supplying housemaids in the city might finally be out in the open. With prima-facie evidence of a “major flesh trade”, the Delhi High Court has ordered a CBI probe into the role of a prominent Rohini-based placement agency linked to many such agencies in Delhi and whose trail runs into several states.

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Pawan Sharma, counsel for Delhi Police, told HT that though the court order pertains to just one agency, almost all placement agencies in Delhi will come under the CBI scanner.

“From our investigations, we found that the Rohini agency has a wide network in Delhi. Besides supplying several maids to different persons in Delhi, Ludhiana, Faridabad, Noida, Bhiwani, Rohtak and several other places in the country, they were also involved in selling minor girls for marriage and some other favours,” he said.

There is nothing new in allegations that some of capital’s placement agencies are just a garb for flesh trade racket.

Delhi police conducted enquiries and the Delhi government assured a tab by bringing them under the Shops and Establishments Act. But justices A K Sikri and Ajit Bharihoke took the unprecedented step of directing a probe by country’s apex probe agency.

Sordid tale

“The tale narrated by her exposes a trafficking racket being run by dubious persons,” said the judges.

The court was hearing a PIL alleging that placement agencies were indulging in trafficking of women and children, who were later pushed into prostitution. The minor girl was the niece of one Nepal Sardar from West Bengal. He had sent her and another girl to the house of one S K Jha, a resident of Rohini, to work as maids.

But when he went to the house to meet her, he found it locked. The police found that Jha had handed over the minor to four unknown persons of Haryana. Later, she was married off to one of them without her permission.