In a major breakthrough, two minor tribal girls of same family who were reported missing two days ago from Lem... Read More

RAIPUR: In a major breakthrough, two minor tribal girls of same family who were reported missing two days ago from Lemru village of Korba district were rescued from clutches of girl traffickers with arrests of 11 alleged accused including three woman on Tuesday. The girls were allegedly raped by six ‘customers’ and were kept confined at a farmhouse. One of them was almost sold and was being prepared to send to another city for flesh trade .

Korba SP Amreesh Mishra said that on May 18, Rajendra Patel and a woman Durga approached girls’ family to work as domestic worker and look after an infant at Manikpur region. While they promised the family that girls aged 12 and 14 years would be kept in touch through phones, the accused stopped contacting after a week and their phones were switched off. Family had then reported the matter to police with details of Patel’s vehicle and phone number, followed by a missing complaint.

Korba police traced the driver of the vehicle in which the girls were taken to Tilkoja area in stead of Manikpur as promised to their family. The girls were rescued from a farmhouse located at isolated region at Tilkoja where Patel works as a watchguard.

After he was arrested along with his wife Mamta and relative Pawan Katewar, Patel tried to mislead police during interrogation when he was asked about how he could afford salaries of two girls to look after his infant while he himself was a mere guard.

Police then interrogated girls who revealed that Patel had brutally beaten them after bringing them to farmhouse and forced himself upon them. According to statement of girls Patel had brought around six ‘customers’ who raped one of the girls. Another minor girl was taken by Mamta Patel who was also raped twice by customers at Saragbundiya area. This girl was almost sold for Rs 10,000 to a woman called Pinky Sahu but was saved as police had found her in time.

Police have arrested five traffickers and six ‘customers’ who had raped the girls under relevant Sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and ST/SC atrocities Act while more connections of traffickers were also being traced.

Accused hail from all neighbouring regions of Lemru and were identified as Rajendra Patel, Mamta Patel, Pinki Sahu, Durga Singh, Pawan Katewar, farmhouse owner and an employee at state electricity department John Cruise Tigga, Bhukhan Kashyap of Janjgir, Shekh Sahwali of Ambikapur, Ravindra Agrawal of Katghora, Santosh Prajapati of Bilaspur and Nitesh Singh of Janjgir.

Police said that the incident indicate that girl trafficking is strengthening its roots in tribal dominated regions not only on grounds of providing jobs in metro cities but now, also locally, wherein girls further get exploited.