Delhi Police bust major human trafficking racket; four arrested, minors rescued

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) In a major breakthrough against organised human trafficking, Delhi Police’s Outer North District has busted a well-entrenched network operating between Delhi–NCR and Srinagar, rescuing multiple minors and arresting four key accused.

The case originated from a complaint at Bhalswa Dairy police station, where a woman reported the kidnapping of her 15-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old neighbour. After the case was transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), technical surveillance traced the victims to Srinagar.

On June 15, both girls were successfully rescued and brought back to Delhi. Their statements before the Child Welfare Committee revealed they were lured from Old Delhi Railway Station, transported via Jammu, and forced into unpaid domestic work.

Following weeks of surveillance, police arrested Salim-ul-Rehman alias Wasim (38), of Ganderbal, Srinagar, and Suraj (31), of Begampur, Delhi, on August 14. Salim, who ran V.A. Manpower Pvt Ltd in Srinagar, admitted to trafficking nearly 500 people in two years, charging hefty commissions.

Suraj acted as a transporter for victims recruited at Old Delhi Railway Station. Subsequent raids in Srinagar on August 19 led to the arrest of Md. Talib of Rampur, UP and Satnam Singh alias Sardar Ji of Barabanki, UP. A 16-year-old minor girl was also rescued during the operation.

Alarmingly, police recovered a forged UP Police identity card (Sub-Inspector rank) from Talib, allegedly used to evade checks. Investigations revealed the syndicate charged Rs 20,000-25,000 per trafficked male and Rs 40,000-60,000 per female, exploiting them as domestic workers and bonded labourers.

The racket relied on touts and placement agencies, with associates like Shahbaz Khan, Naresh, Rohit Pandey, and Sohail Ahmad of Sunaaz Placement Agency in Srinagar also under police radar.

Police are probing forged IDs, hawala and UPI transactions through PhonePe and Google Pay, and vehicles used for transporting victims.

“This case exposes a deeply entrenched trafficking syndicate exploiting vulnerable minors and labourers. With multiple arrests and rescues already effected, Delhi Police remains committed to dismantling the entire network, rescuing remaining victims, and ensuring the strictest legal action against all conspirators,” said DCP Hareshwar Swami.

--IANS

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