Another human trafficking racket busted in Kashmir; four Rohingya girls rescued in Baramulla

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday busted another gang of human trafficking from north Kashmir's Baramulla district by arresting two persons. Four minor girls from Myanmar (Burma), who were illegally brought to Kashmir Valley through agents, were also rescued by the police during the operation.

According to police, after getting authentic information Baramulla Police on Friday successfully busted a human trafficking module operating in Ushkura, Baramulla.

The investigation revealed that Shakeel Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Ushkura, was involved in the trafficking and exploitation of minor girls from outside the Union Territory.

Accordingly, a case vide FIR No. 173/2024 under relevant sections of law was registered at Police Station Baramulla and an investigation was taken up, a police spokesman said.

Acting swiftly on the information, a police team raided Shakeel Ahmad Bhat's residential premises and rescued three minor girls who are Rohingya Burma. The raid was conducted in the presence of a Magistrate and lady police officials, police said.

During interrogation, police said Shakeel Ahmad Bhat confessed that he sold one girl to Mehraj Ahmad Tantray, a resident of Kanlibagh. Subsequently, a raid at Tantray's residence led to the rescue of another minor girl from Burma Rohingya. Both Shakeel Ahmad Bhat and Mehraj-u-Din Tantray have been arrested. Efforts are now underway to apprehend other individuals involved in this human trafficking racket.

Earlier, a woman from Kolkata was sold in Kashmir

In February this year, Jammu and Kashmir Police rescued a woman from Kolkata, West Bengal who was sold in Kashmir Valley by the inter-state human trafficking gang. She was fraudulently transported to Kashmir Valley and subsequently sold to a resident of the Pattan area for Rs 1.30 lakh.

The arrested accused namely Bashir Ahmad Mochi, Ghulam Hassan Najar, Parvaiz Ahmad Ganiee, and Mohammad Ramzan Ganiee—were part of this trafficking racket, exploiting innocent and helpless females for profit.

The police acted swiftly, arresting the four Kashmiri residents involved in the trafficking. However, efforts continue to apprehend non-local members of the syndicate. The victim disclosed that she was brought to Kashmir by Zaitoon Bibi from Kolkata and sold to Parvaiz Ahmad Ganiee, who forcibly married her.

This incident sheds light on the disturbing reality of human trafficking in the region. Notably, similar criminal networks have been active in selling Rohingya women in Jammu and Kashmir. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently charged three Myanmar nationals for their involvement in illegally trafficking Rohingya women into India and selling them across various states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Haryana.

It's disheartening to see vulnerable individuals exploited in this manner, and efforts to combat human trafficking remain crucial.