Tripura Shocker: Minor Girl Rescued From Suspected Human Trafficking Network

The girl went missing on October 13. She was allegedly persuaded by a woman, identified as Nishima Ben, who lured her to travel to Bengaluru for a film audition.

In an utter sigh of relief, a minor has been rescued from what was suspected to be a human trafficking hurdle. The Tripura girl was lured by a woman named Nishima Ben, who persuaded her to go to Bengaluru for an alleged film audition. The minor girl went missing on October 13. The girl from Agartala, Tripura, has been safely brought back home with the help of her father, social activists and members of a social organisation.

In Her Own Words

While speaking to ANI, recalling her ordeal, the girl said, "Nishima Ben told me that a film was being shot in Bengaluru and that auditions were being held there. She asked me to go to Bengaluru for the audition. I told her, 'How can I go alone?' She replied that she would also go, but after 15 days. First, I should go, and then she would join me."

She told me to sell my gold chain and use the money to go there. Following this, Yuvraj Chowdhury took my gold chain as a pledge and gave me Rs 30,000. He also booked my flight ticket," she further added.

After reaching Bengaluru, she was picked up from the airport and taken to an unfamiliar location. "After I reached Bengaluru, a person picked me up from the airport and took me in a car to a place. He told me, 'Stay here today. Tomorrow, I will take you to the actual place where you are supposed to stay.' However, after reaching there, I realised that there was no film shooting or audition. He told me that there was no shooting taking place there and that this was the work I had to do," she added.

She also alleged that her mobile phone was damaged and her SIM card was removed, leaving her unable to contact her family. She also alleged that repeated demands for money were made to her family, with the amounts reportedly changing from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh and subsequently Rs 2 lakh.

"The names of the people involved, as mentioned by me, are Nishima Ben, Yuvraj Chowdhury, Naveen Chowdhury and Injamul Haque, who is associated with Injamul Haque's ashram. Naveen Chowdhury and Yuvraj Chowdhury are brothers. Their house is in Agartala," she added.

Father's Ordeal

"On October 13, my daughter went missing. Following the incident, I went to the police station, and my husband also approached the police for help. The police informed us that our daughter had travelled to Bengaluru on a flight at 12:45 PM that day. They provided us with a location and advised us to go there," he said.

"We reached the concerned police station on October 14. However, the Agartala Police informed us that her location was showing somewhere towards Pune and advised us to proceed to Mumbai. We went to Mumbai and waited there for four days," he added.

The father also revealed that after 10-15 days, a social activist from Tripura contacted him with clue about his daughter's whereabouts and told him to reach Bengaluru immediately. "Although we could not find our daughter during those four days, I eventually returned to Tripura. Around 10-15 days later, possibly on October 22, Sumit Bhaiya called me and informed me that he had received a location. He immediately asked me to reach Bengaluru. I then travelled to Bengaluru, where I met Nagesh Ji, a member of the Hindu Maha Sangathan. He is an extremely kind-hearted and wonderful person," he said.

However, social activists from Bengaluru were of great help. "The location indicated that my daughter was working at a place approximately 90 kilometres from Bengaluru Airport. Based on the location details, they took me to that area. Fortunately, we found my daughter there, along the way. She was accompanied by three or four other children, and there were approximately seven or eight children in total, including a boy," he said.

"As soon as I found my daughter, I brought her into our vehicle. Subsequently, some people came there to take the children away, which created a commotion. However, our Hindu organisation members handled the situation and stood firmly by us, providing us with immense support and protection," he said.

Expressing gratitude, he said, "Today, there is immense happiness in our family because of their efforts. I feel that they have given me back my entire world by helping us reunite with our daughter."

What The Social Activist Said

Social activist Khokan Chandra Paul, followed and helped in the case throughly with the help of organisation's support.

"We are from Agartala, Tripura. On October 13, one of our girls from Tripura was allegedly taken from here to Bengaluru and Mumbai. She became trapped in a human trafficking network. As you are aware, human trafficking involves various forms of exploitation and other serious criminal activities,"

Paul said. "The girl's father and other concerned individuals came to meet the Chairperson of our organisation's office. The Chairperson had made the necessary arrangements for them. When I looked into the matter and enquired about it, I was informed that they had approached the administration, which had taken commendable steps to address the issue," he said.