Rachakonda anti-human trafficking unit may get PS status

Plans are afoot to accord AHTU the status of police station

Hyderabad: With the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Rachakonda Police cracking a whip on human trafficking rackets in the region, plans are afoot to accord the unit the status of a police station, in the hope that this could help the cause in a better way.

“The AHTU was formed in July last year and since then, over 29 human trafficking cases for sex and labour had been cracked by the unit alone, rescuing over 109 victims and nabbing about 80 traffickers,” Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said, adding that this at such a short span of time was an ‘incredible achievement’.

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Strengthening of the unit, therefore, was of utmost importance. Some States including West Bengal and Maharashtra already have a dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking police station to keep a watch on human trafficking cases. The unit not only deals with sex trafficking incidents, but also with human trafficking of children for labour, officials point out.

“Setting up of a new police station requires a policy decision from the government. Going by the need of the present day, we have kept the option of according it a police station status open. If the government calls for proposals, we will surely request permission for an AHTU police station,” Bhagwat said.

The Commissioner said all departments should co-operate and coordinate in preventing human trafficking. He stressed upon that only when all departments function in tandem, not only rescue, but rehabilitation and restoration can be done to tackle the problem of human trafficking in a holistic manner.

Officials said, of the victims rescued from sex trafficking, a majority were from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Bangladesh.

The Rachakonda AHTU has been acclaimed for prevention, protection and rehabilitation. Particularly, to mention the swift action in tracing missing persons and setting up of the worksite schools towards prevention of child labour in brick kilns, officials pointed out.

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