Ri-Bhoi Police bust trafficking network, arrest three persons
From Our Correspondent
NONGPOH, Oct 28: It was nothing short of a nightmarish experience for a girl from Byrnihat after a Facebook friendship turned sour, as she was lured to Delhi and then to Rajasthan on the pretext of marriage, sold off for ₹3 lakh and forced into marriage with an unknown man.
Ri-Bhoi Police busted an interstate human trafficking network by rescuing the girl from Rajasthan and arresting three accused persons, operating across Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Rajasthan.
The arrests are linked to a wider trafficking network suspected of selling at least six girls – five from Assam’s Boko area and one from Tripura – over the past two years.
The family of the girl had lodged an FIR with the Nongpoh Women Police Station on June 11, stating that she went missing from the Byrnihat area. Subsequently, a case was registered.
During investigation, the police learnt that the girl was confined to Rajasthan but she managed to escape. She was rescued with the help of Rajasthan Police and brought back to Meghalaya.
The girl told the police that a man from Assam, who befriended her on Facebook, lured her to travel to Delhi and Rajasthan under the pretext of marriage. Once there, she was sold and forcibly married to an unknown man in exchange for ₹3 lakh.
After sustained investigation, the police arrested one of the accused, Rajesh Hinge (31) of North Tripura, from Guwahati on October 19. This was followed by the arrest of an accomplice, Md Khalil Ali (31) of Kamrup, Assam, from Jalukbari in Guwahati on October 21.
The kingpin of the network, Monika, who is a resident of Kari in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, was arrested from Kamakhya Railway Station in Guwahati on October 26.
The police said the accused had been operating for at least two years and trafficked five girls from Boko and one from Tripura. The three arrested persons have been subjected to interrogation and more arrests are likely.
Officials said the case highlights a growing trend in cyber-enabled human trafficking, wherein traffickers use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, to identify and lure victims under false promises of marriage, job offers or tourism opportunities.
Authorities urged parents and youth to remain vigilant against online befriending by strangers and avoid sharing personal information or clicking suspicious links, cautioning that such tactics are often used not only for trafficking but also for cyber fraud, UPI scams, and blackmailing.
