Karnataka girls saved from trafficking to Muscat

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BANGALORE: Now it is evident that women and children are being trafficked to Gulf countries from Karnataka as two minor girls, who were trafficked to Muscat, were rescued by the Muscat police during a raid and handed over to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA).

The MOIA had notified the Karnataka police and the cases were handed over to Anti Human Trafficking Squad (AHTS) of the CID.

According to the victims' statements, which were recorded by CID officials, they were cheated and forcibly taken to a brothel in Muscat, where there were 20 other Indian girls, four hailing from Karnataka.

Two girls - Ayisha of Harinagar in Subrahmanyapura police station limits, and Tabassam of Anchepalya in Bidadi police station limits - were found missing since November 26, 2008 and February 1, 2007 respectively. The girls were aged between 14 and 17. The Subrahmanyapura and Bidadi police had registered cases after the girls' parents had filed a missing persons complaint.

The MOIA stated that girls were trafficked to Gulf countries by trafficking agents, including one from Kerala. The Muscat police, who had raided a brothel in July 2010, rescued many girls and Ayisha and Tabassam were among them, said Malini Krishnamurthy, DIGP and nodal officer AHTS, CID.

The girls were then handed over to the Indian Embassy in Muscat and deported back to India, and with the help of MOIA the girls reached Bangalore safely. After the MOIA letter reached the state police, the AHTS swung into action, traced the girls, recorded their statements and filed cases against the accused in Subrahmanyapura and Bidadi police stations.

Ironically, though the AHTS filed cases in the local police stations in Bangalore and Ramanagar on trafficking charges, the local police could not arrest the accused, sources said.

The accused are Nafeesa Banu and Sail Kumar in the Subrahmanyapura case, and Jyota, Sail Kumar, Saina and Fayaz in the Bidadi case.

(The names of the girls have been changed)

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