Three trafficked girls rescued from Karnataka
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 26 2017: A successful rescue operation was jointly conducted by Karnataka police (Shimoga district), Imphal West police and Women Helpline Manipur '181' .

According to a press release issued by Helpline Manager, Manipur, a young girl from Churachandpur called up Women Helpline Manipur '181' to enquire the authenticity of a job offered to her in Bangalore in a beauty parlour as beautician along with two other girls without any prior work experience .

Though she was suspicious about the job, she was enticed by the lucrative job offer as she has to support her ailing father and six young siblings.

Complimentary flight tickets were offered for all the three girls .

The release said the three girls departed for Bangalore the next day before proper investigation about the offered job could be initiated with the help of Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, Imphal West .

On the second day after reaching Bangalore, Women Helpline received a distress call from her mother requesting it to rescue the girls as they had asked for help.

The girl informed Women Helpline that instead of joining a beauty parlour, their agents have now asked them to work in Spa as Masseuse, giving body massages to male walk-in customers and had put restriction to the use of mobile phone .

The girl wanted Women Helpline Manipur '181' to rescue them at the earliest.

She also managed to inform that from her current location they were going to be taken to an unknown location towards Shivamogga district around 300 km away .

The Women Helpline alerted Childline, Manipur and Additional SP Imphal West, L Priyadarshini requesting for assistance.

Accordingly, it could contact Karnataka police for further assistance for the rescue operation .

Minute observations on the way and key information such as their travelling bus number plates, milestones, roadside signage etc were passed on secretly by the brave girl to the Women Helpline.

The information was shared with Karnataka police of Shivamogga police station and finally managed to intercept the bus by getting in touch with the bus driver and conductor and all the three girls were rescued safely in time, it said .

They are being kept at Ujjwala Home run by the Ministry of Women and Child and Government of Karnataka .

Officials of Department of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur, including Binobala Nongmeikapam, Deputy Director (WP) along with the Women Helpline Manager, G Ravi Sharma and the entire Women Helpline team worked tirelessly to keep a constant touch with the girls and their family members throughout the ordeal .

Meanwhile, Social Welfare Department has sent a team of Imphal West police along with a family member to Shimoga, Karnataka for repatriation of the three rescued girls .

They would be arriving Imphal today and would be handed over to their respective families after due process .

The Department thanked Addl SP L Priyadarshini and the team of Karnataka police led by Inspector Kumar, Rekha GM, superintendent of Ujjawala Home at Shimoga, Transport Department, Karnataka and NGOs Institute for Community Action & Resource Development and Integrated Rural Advancement Centre for their all out effort in rescuing the three girls .

Binobala Nongmeikapam, Deputy Director (WP), Helpline Manager Ravi Gurumayum and the entire team of Women Helpline Manipur '181' appealed to the public especially young girls from the hill districts to remain vigilant against such lucrative job offerings and incentives outside the State .

Saying that verification and confirmation of authenticity of jobs should be carefully carried out before sending them outside the State, they also appealed to the public to contact Women Helpline on its toll free number 181 for assistance to women in distress situation .

They further sought cooperation from community leaders, tribal apex bodies, village leaders, religious leaders and media to curb the menace of human trafficking.

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