Kolkata: Two Bangladeshi women detained near border

One of the women said she befriended a man named Abir online, and came to India over a year ago at his behest. She alleged that Abir took her to Delhi and held her captive in a house. He allegedly forced her into prostitution. She managed to flee, and was on her way back to Bangladesh with the help of an unknown Indian tout who allegedly paid Rs1,000 to a broker.

The other woman held by the BSF claimed she came to India 20 days ago with the help of a Bangladeshi friend named Hriday who took her to Delhi against her wish. She claimed that the man struck a deal with a broker for her, but she managed to escape. She met the other woman in Kolkata’s Sealdah area. She too was going back with the help of the unknown Indian tout who was assisting the other woman, and had Rs 1,000 to the broker.

The women were handed over to the police in Bagdah in North 24 Parganas. “The Border Security Force is taking strict steps to prevent the heinous crime like human trafficking on the Indo-Bangladesh border. Consequently, some people and brokers are being caught. During interrogation, it has come to the fore that poor and innocent girls are being lured into the love trap and taken under the pretext of getting them work in India, they are pushed into the quagmire of prostitution. Once they enter this swamp, they find it difficult to come out as they find that all the ways are closed. To put a tight rein on such criminals, the BSF has deployed Anti Human Trafficking Units that are working day and night to save the future of innocent girls,” said 99 Battalion’s Commanding Officer Ravi Kant.

This incident came a few days after 21 minor girls were rescued from a red light area in Kulti in Paschim Bardhaman district. The girls had allegedly been trafficked from outside the state.