Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Two missing minor sisters who were abducted three months ago were finally rescued from a child-trafficking gang based in Bairasia. The girls, aged 11 and 7, belonging to a poor family who were abducted on August 26 near AIIMS hospital in Bag Sewania were rescued on November 3.
According to reports, the sisters’ brother was admitted to AIIMS and the girls reached the hospital to meet their mother. Later, they boarded a bus and reached Nadra Bus Stand. There, two elderly women linked to a begging racket lured them offering food and took them to Bairasia. The girls were then kept confined in a house.
Their mother searched for the girls and approached Bag Sewania police on September 2 after failing to find them. However, the delay made the investigation difficult as CCTVs provided only limited clues.
However, police received vital clues pointing toward a women-led gang in Bairasia. Acting on this, sub-inspector Gokul Prasad spent the night in disguise in the area gathering information, which confirmed that two women were holding the sisters captive. After he alerted the local police, messages were sent to the gang’s associates warning of strict action if the girls were harmed.
Fearing action, the gang eventually handed the girls over to the police following which they were reunited with their mother.
Wider trafficking network under scrutiny
Police learnt that the gang was planning to sell the girls to another racket in a different city. Several of the group’s active members have since gone underground and police teams are tracking them to uncover how many other children they may have abducted or exploited. Police commissioner Harinarayanachari Mishra who monitored the case closely, said that Operation Muskaan continues to focus on tracing missing minors using AI-based tools, field teams, and community awareness campaigns.
