Two arrested for human trafficking, girl rescued

Chandigarh, September 17

Two persons, including the owner of a hotel at Kajheri village, Sector 52, have been arrested allegedly for human trafficking. A police team, which raided the hotel, rescued a girl, who is a native of Assam.

The police said they got an input that members of the gang used to lure women from other states into coming to Chandigarh on the pretext of providing them jobs. They sexually exploited their victims at a hotel in Kajheri village.

Acting on the information, the police raided Hotel Nitish Palace on September 16 and rescued the girl, who was allegedly sexually exploited by the accused, identified as Sandeep and Muslim Hussain, alias Sahid.

The police said the accused, during the interrogation, revealed that Sahid was a co-owner of the hotel, who was operating it with his brother, Muzahid. “The accused used to bring girls from Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar on the pretext of providing them job in Chandigarh, with the help of a person named Raju, who hails from Delhi,” said a police official.

Meanwhile, the girl was sent to Nari Niketan, Sector 26. A case under Sections 370 (trafficking of persons), 370-A (ii) (exploitation of a trafficked person) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC has been registered.

Both accused were produced before the court that sent Sandeep to judicial custody and Sahid to one-day police custody.