Ukhrul, October 29: A major inter-state human trafficking network was busted by Ri-Bhoi police following the arrest of three persons including a woman, the kingpin for allegedly selling a young woman from Meghlaya to a man in Rajasthan.
The case came to light after Ri-Bhoi police received an FIR on June 11, this year, informing the disappearance of a girl from Byrnihat area.
Following the intensive probe, police came to know that the girl was in Rajasthan and had managed to escape confinement. She was recused with the help of Rajasthan Police and brought back to Meghalaya.
During questioning the rescued girl blew the cover of the case revealing that she was befriended on Facebook by a man from Assam who promised her marriage. He managed to lure her to travel to Delhi and Rajasthan for their marriage. On arrival to Rajasthan, she was sold and married off to another man for Rs. 3 lakh.
The gang operated through social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, befriending their victims, initiating chats and phone calls to gain their trust before luring them to places such as Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan in the guise of marriage, jobs and on arrival would be taken into custody and sold off.
A coordinated effort between police teams from Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura and Rajasthan led them to three suspects.
The man who befriended and lured the girl out of the state identified as Rajesh Hinge (31) resident of Kumarghat, Betchera, North Tripura was the prime suspect, arrested in Guwahati on October 19.
Based on his confession, another co-accomplice named Md. Khalil Ali (31) resident of Karabari, Kamrup district, Assam was arrested on October 21 from Jhalukbari Guwahati.
The investigation finally led to the doorstep of the kingpin, a woman named Monika, Nawalgarh from Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan. She was arrested October 26 from Kamakhya Railway Station in Guwahati.
Interrogations of the accused revealed that the gang had been operating for the past 2 years confessing to have sold off as many as 5 girls from Boko, Assam and 1 girl from Tripura in the last 2 years, the police informed.
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Authorities have urged young people to be cautious while interacting with strangers online and to report suspicious behavior to the police and their families further alerting that similar online tactics are used for cybercrimes such as extortion, UPI fraud and blackmail.
Officials are coordinating with law enforcement in Assam, Tripura, and Rajasthan to locate more victims and dismantle the trafficking ring.