Kolkata, July 26 (NationPress) A member of a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) based in Siliguri, situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, was apprehended due to his alleged role in the trafficking of women.

The individual arrested has been identified as Virendra Pratap Singh, who serves as the project director for the 'Durg Education and Charitable Society', as reported by police on Saturday.

According to police officials, this NGO is currently under investigation. Evidence revealed that young girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds were being targeted and enticed with promises of employment in reputable companies.

Notably, personnel associated with the NGO did not directly visit rural locales.

Instead, they engaged block-level agents who gathered data from job applications submitted by these vulnerable women. The NGO's involvement came to light after the rescue of 56 women earlier this week, who were being trafficked to other states.

These women were liberated from a train compartment at Siliguri station just before they were set to be trafficked.

Investigators are presently documenting the accounts of the rescued women and are on a mission to locate these agents.

A senior police officer involved in the investigation disclosed that the NGO operated a training center and hostel in the Siliguri area, purportedly for the crime.

"After providing basic training and earning their trust, the women were dispatched for work in different states," the officer stated.

Earlier this week, 56 young women were rescued from New Jalpaiguri railway station in north Bengal by the Railways Protection Force (RPF) and the General Railway Police (GRO), resulting in the arrest of two individuals linked to the attempted human trafficking. The women were saved following a raid on the Patna-bound Capital Express.

The apprehended suspects attempted to transport these women to another state under the guise of providing employment at a well-known mobile company.

The women rescued hailed from the regions of Jalpaiguri, Banarhat, Cooch Behar, and Kalchini in Alipurduar, primarily targeting those residing in tea garden areas.

"The testimonies of the rescued women will aid in tracking down the individuals who facilitated their transport to the training center. Efforts are also underway to locate girls from prior batches using documents and computers seized from that establishment," the investigating officer remarked.