Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police has busted an interstate human trafficking racket, rescuing a woman and six minor girls from Hyderabad and arresting two alleged traffickers, officials said on Wednesday.
The two accused, identified as Iswar Kusulia and Chandra alias Sarita Jain alias Saritha Lunawat, were arrested and produced before a court, which remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.
The operation stemmed from an investigation into the disappearance of a woman from the Adava police station area in Gajapati district. A relative had reported her missing on June 21.
During the probe, police found that the woman had contacted her family on June 24 and alleged that Iswar Kusulia of Rayagada had lured her and another woman with the promise of jobs.
According to the victim, Kusulia first took her to his residence at Gumukudi village under Muniguda police station limits before sending her to Hyderabad on the pretext of arranging employment.
Police said the investigation revealed that instead of providing jobs, Kusulia allegedly sold the woman and another girl to Chandra alias Sarita Jain alias Saritha Lunawat for Rs 70,000.
The victims alleged they were illegally confined, deprived of their mobile phones, subjected to physical and mental abuse, and forced into immoral activities.
During questioning, they also revealed that several other girls had been brought from different places on the false promise of employment and similarly exploited, pointing to an organised interstate trafficking network.
Acting on specific intelligence, a Gajapati Police team, assisted by Hyderabad Police, raided the accused woman’s premises in Hyderabad and rescued seven victims — a woman and six minor girls.
The rescued victims were brought back to Odisha safely and reunited with their families, police said.
