Four Tripura girls, two women rescued from suspected trafficking at Bengal-Nepal border

Four teenage girls and two women from Tripura were rescued in West Bengal’s Panitanki while allegedly being trafficked to Nepal for dance-bar work. The SSB intercepted them with two men at the border after concerns arose over possible exploitation

Kolkata/Siliguri: Four teenage girls and two women from Tripura were rescued in West Bengal’s border town of Panitanki while allegedly being trafficked to Nepal to work at a dance bar, police said on Friday. The six victims, accompanied by two men, were attempting to cross over to Nepal on Thursday when the Sashastra Seema Bal intercepted them in coordination with Kosi Lok Manch, a partner organisation of Just Rights for Children, an officer said.

The intervention followed concerns raised over the possibility that the girls were being trafficked, he said. “The two men could not establish legitimate authority for accompanying the six victims in crossing the international border,” said the senior police officer involved with the investigation.

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“During counselling, the girls told officials that they had been promised dance gigs in Nepal. They were, however, unable to provide clear details about their destination, where they were expected to work or how long they would stay in Nepal,” he said.

The lack of clarity raised concerns about possible trafficking and exploitation, officials said, adding that one of the girls and a woman had reportedly been missing from their homes in Tripura. Panitanki in Darjeeling district is a major international trade and transit point on the India-Nepal border.

Following counselling and verification, the SSB handed over the six girls and the two men to Kosi Lok Manch, which subsequently approached Kharibari Police Station and reported the matter for necessary legal action and investigation.