How Did the CBI Rescue a Missing Minor Girl from Rajasthan? Five Arrested for Selling Her

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The CBI rescued a minor girl sold for illegal marriage.
- Five suspects were arrested in Rajasthan.
- The girl was missing since August 2023.
- She was misrepresented as an adult in affidavits.
- This case may be linked to a larger trafficking network.
New Delhi, Aug 9 (NationPress) - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) successfully rescued a minor girl from West Bengal who had been kidnapped and sold on two occasions for illegal marriage. This operation took place in Rajasthan and led to the apprehension of five suspects, as confirmed by an official on Saturday.
The young girl, who disappeared from Bardhaman in West Bengal in August 2023, was found in Pali, Rajasthan, on Friday, according to the official.
The arrested individuals include Bharat Kumar, Jagdish Kumar, Mena Dapuben, Rata Ram, and Dilip Kumar, as reported by the CBI official.
She had been unaccounted for since leaving her home for tuition on August 9, 2023, the agency noted.
Investigations revealed that while the girl was a minor at the time of her disappearance, she was falsely presented as an adult in affidavits for her marriage.
She was sold for marriage on two separate occasions, raising suspicions that this case might be part of a larger human trafficking network, the CBI highlighted in its statement.
The agency initiated the case on February 16, 2024, following directives from the High Court of Calcutta.
The local police and the CID of West Bengal initially handled the investigation. However, at the request of the girl’s mother, the case was later transferred to the CBI in Kolkata, as per the official statement.
Using intelligence from sources and an analysis of call records, the CBI traced leads indicating that the girl might have been moved to Pali, Rajasthan.
A CBI team then went to Pali, and upon confirming the information, successfully rescued the girl from the residence of the suspects on August 8.
According to a report from the government in Parliament, the National Crime Records Bureau documented that crimes against women rose from 3,78,236 in 2018 to 4,45,256 in 2022 across various years.