Four of gang arrested for child trafficking

The West Delhi police said the gang mainly targeted girls in the age group of five to eight years. The main accused in the case,who is absconding,worked as an assistant to a contractor supplying food to primary schools as part of the Delhi government’s mid-day meal scheme,the police said. Through her work at schools,she managed to establish friendship and gain the confidence of the parents of her potential victims.

The accused were identified as Bina Parmod,Mangal Munshi,Ashok Lal and Shyam Lal,all residents of Alwar,Rajasthan.

The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of West Delhi had received information on a gang that kidnapped young girls from the Capital and sold them in Rajasthan. A police team raided two villages — Sodavas and Girvas — in Alwar and arrested the accused on Saturday.

“One of the accused,Bina,told us during interrogation she had purchased a girl (aged six) from the main accused,Radha,through Shyam Lal for Rs 45,000. The girl was kidnapped from Sultanpuri in Outer Delhi on July 8 last year. Another girl (aged eight) was kidnapped on April 24 from Sultanpuri and purchased by Munshi from Radha for Rs 40,000. Another girl (aged five) is too young to tell us where she was kidnapped from. Mangal had purchased her from Radha for Rs 40,000,” Deputy Commissioner of police (West),Sharad Aggarwal said.

The police said after Radha got friendly with the parents of her intended victims,she kidnapped the girls and sold them to prospective buyers in the two villages of Alwar.

“The buyers took in the young girls and forced them into prostitution as they attained puberty. A few children were also sent to Mumbai for prostitution or other illegal activities,” DCP Aggarwal said. The police said efforts are on to trace Radha. All recovered children have been sent to NGO Nirmal Chhaya,which will trace their families and hand the children back.