Gujarat human trafficking: Minor girl sold as bride to over 15 men yet to be traced

Gujarat human trafficking: Minor girl sold as bride to over 15 men yet to be traced

Rural police busted the human trafficking network on May 11 when they located a missing teenager who was reportedly abducted from Kanbha near Ahmedabad.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Monday, May 22, 2023, 06:11 PM IST
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Representative image | Fpj

Ahmedabad: For eight years a victim of human trafficking was allegedly sold off for Rs 2.5 lakh as a bride to at least 15 men in the age group of 30-45 years since 2015 when she was only 13. This was revealed in the investigation into the human trafficking rings operating in Gujarat and involved in sale and abduction of minors, as per a Times of India report. Only one girl was rescued of the reported 8 abducted since the racket started operating in 2015.

Ahmedabad Rural police busted the human trafficking network on May 11 when they located a missing teenager who was reportedly abducted from Kanbha near Ahmedabad. Seven persons have been arrested in this case.

Police rescued a teenager from on May 13 from a village outside Gandhinagar. Based on information gathered from her, the authorities were able to determine the role of Ashok Patel, the mastermind, his wife Renuka, his son, and another woman identified as Rupal Mekwan; all of whom lived in the city’s Odhav district. Some of their accomplices were also apprehended.

Ashok Patel was operating with his accomplices in Maharashtra and Rajashthan besides Gujarat.

Ring busted while looking for missing teenager

The ordeal for Nisha (name changed) began in 2015 when she was just 13 years old, when was allegedly sold as a bride first. Police are on the lookout for the girl, suspected to be one of the earliest victim of the ring, to record her statement against the suspects.

“Ashok Patel had abducted Nisha from Ahmedabad, and raped and tortured her until she gave in and agreed to do as told. He and the other gang members then presented her as a bride. She had been forced into marrying at least two men, aged between 30 and 45, each year since 2015. Ashok and his aides used to abduct other girls using Nisha, who had no choice but to comply with them”, an officer said.

Beyond the capacity of Ahmedabad’s rural police

As more details continues to surface, the racket is perceived to be too huge to be handled by the Ahmedabad rural police alone.

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