Bhubaneswar Police crack down on sex trafficking ring, rescue four girls

Bhubaneswar, Nov 28: Commissionerate Police today dismantled a sex trafficking operation operating from a residence near Khandagiri in Bhubaneswar, rescuing four girls in the process. The police have sealed the house where the alleged illegal activity took place.

According to reports, the raid was conducted based on a tip-off, leading to the recovery of the girls, all of whom are residents of Odisha. An investigating officer stated that inquiries are underway, and the rescued girls are being questioned. The owner of the property is also expected to face questioning regarding the incident.

Further investigations revealed that a woman from Nayagarh was involved in the trafficking of these girls, coercing them into the sex trade. This operation comes just two days after the arrest of a 36-year-old man connected to a separate human trafficking case involving Bangladeshi girls.

This earlier investigation, which involved raids at five locations in Bhubaneswar, has now led to a total of three arrests. Victims were reportedly promised daily wages of Rs 2,000 but were instead forced into prostitution. Traffickers utilized social media platforms such as WhatsApp to market the victims and facilitate transactions. The situation first came to light when a minor girl escaped from a rented property in Cuttack on November 9, where she had been taken by a couple from Rajasthan and Keonjhar who engaged her in the sex trade.