Jaipur: A major human trafficking operation posing as a social welfare organisation was exposed on the outskirts of Jaipur this week. The so-called NGO, known as the Gayatri Sarva Samaj Foundation, trafficked young girls under the pretense of organising mass marriages for underprivileged families, according to a report by NDTV.
As per the police, the group was selling girls to prospective grooms for amounts ranging from Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh.
Mass Marriages a Cover for Exploitation
As per the report, Bassi Police station in-charge Abhijit Patil, shared that the NGO operated from a secluded farmhouse in the Sujanpura village, about 30 km from Jaipur. Investigations further revealed that the girls were sourced from impoverished families in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Odisha through a network of traffickers. The alleged mastermind, Gayatri Vishwakarma, would then sell them to men seeking brides, profiting from the transactions.
The "price" of each girl, police said, was determined based on superficial criteria such as age, height, and skin complexion. Many of the victims were minors, and fake Aadhaar cards were allegedly created to falsify their age and make them appear legally eligible for marriage. Authorities reported that around 1,500 such marriages were arranged by the accused, who already has ten criminal cases registered against her.
How Was the Racket Exposed?
The operation came to light after a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh escaped from the farmhouse on Sunday, April 6, and alerted local police. Her testimony led to a raid on the premises, resulting in the arrest of Gayatri, her associate Hanuman, and two men, identified as Bhagwan Das and Mahendra, who had arrived to "purchase" the girl.
Villagers reported that they had limited knowledge of the NGO's activities, as the farmhouse was located on the village's periphery. A similar escape attempt had occurred four months earlier, but the language barrier prevented villagers from fully understanding the girl's plea.
