In a fresh case of human trafficking from North Bengal, police from the Pradhannagar Police Station under Siliguri Police Commissionerate rescued 34 young women from a private luxury bus at the Siliguri bus terminus on Sunday evening, thwarting a well-organised attempt to traffic them out of the state.
The operation comes just days after 56 girls were rescued from a similar trafficking attempt at New Jalpaiguri Railway Station. In this latest incident, police arrested three persons, including a woman, Gautam Roy of Siliguri, Petrus Beck of Meteli in Dooars, and Jayshree Pal of Bhaktinagar in Siliguri.
According to police sources, the traffickers had initially planned to transport the women to Ranchi, Jharkhand, by road and then move them by train to Tamil Nadu. Investigations revealed that the traffickers were being paid ₹4,000 for each girl. All the rescued women hail from Kalchini in Alipurduar district.
“Following the similar modus operandi of the previous incident, the young women were lured with false promises of jobs in an electronics company in Bangalore, a tactic often used by trafficking networks to target vulnerable targets looking for job. They had been temporarily housed in a hostel in the Bhavesh More area near Siliguri, where the traffickers used logos and emblems resembling those of central and state government agencies to gain their trust,” said a police officer.
Also read: Human trafficking bid foiled: 56 women rescued at NJP station
“The girls have been rescued and their families are being contacted. A detailed investigation is underway,” said BD Sarkar, Officer-in-Charge of Pradhannagar Police Station.
The latest rescue has set alarm bells ringing across the region, with authorities suspecting the involvement of a large inter-state human trafficking network. The striking similarities between the two cases, both involving the movement of young women in groups under the guise of job opportunities, have sparked concerns about a deeper, coordinated trafficking ring operating across eastern and southern India.
With both railway and bus routes being exploited, authorities are probing whether traffickers were planning to smuggle hundreds of women in phases. Police are interrogating the arrested individuals on remand in a bid to trace the broader network and prevent further trafficking attempts.
This second major bust in under a week highlights the urgent need for tighter surveillance, robust inter-state coordination and increased public awareness to combat the growing menace of human trafficking in the region.
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