17-Year-Old Nepalese Girl Rescued While Being Trafficked To India

Bahraich: A 17-year-old girl, allegedly being trafficked from Nepal to India, was rescued at the Indo-Nepal international border in the Rupaidiha area here, officials from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) said on Thursday. The rescue operation was carried out by the SSB in collaboration with its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) on Wednesday, they said.

"Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint operation was conducted at the Rupaidiha Trade and Transit Route near the check post around 5:50 PM on Wednesday. During the operation, a girl from Surkhet, Nepal, was found in the company of Nar Damai, a Nepali national,” said Raj Ranjan, Officiating Commandant of SSB’s 42nd Battalion.

"Upon questioning, it was revealed that the girl was a minor and was being lured to Maharashtra by Damai without the knowledge of her family," Ranjan added. While Damai has been handed over to the Nepal Police for further legal action, the rescued girl was handed over to a Nepal-based NGO in the presence of Nepal Police.

"As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), if both the victim and the trafficker are Nepali nationals, they are handed over to Nepal Police and local NGOs for further proceedings," Deputy Commandant of SSB, Dilip Kumar, said.