A minor girl from Dinhata in Cooch Behar district, West Bengal — near the India-Bangladesh border — has been rescued from a spa centre in Jaipur after allegedly being trafficked to Rajasthan under the false promise of employment. The rescue, carried out on Monday morning during a raid in the Jalupura police station area, was a joint operation by the West Bengal and Rajasthan Police, supported by civil society organisations Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) and Kosi Lok Manch.

How the Rescue Unfolded

The girl's parents had filed a missing person complaint on 18 June. Investigators tracked her mobile phone, which placed her in Jaipur. The West Bengal Police then sought coordination support from Kosi Lok Manch, which in turn liaised with AVA in Rajasthan to mount the rescue effort.

On Sunday, a West Bengal Police team accompanied by the girl's mother arrived in Jaipur. The operation proved difficult — the victim's location shifted multiple times. Acting on technical surveillance, officers first moved to the Sanganer area before ultimately locating and rescuing the girl from the spa in Jalupura on Monday morning. The accused fled the scene; efforts to apprehend them are ongoing.

What the Victim Told Investigators

The rescued girl, who had studied up to Class 9, told police that a young man known to her in Dinhata had lured her to Jaipur with the promise of a well-paying job. After her arrival, she was allegedly handed over to a man identified as Karan, who reportedly has a prior history of allegations linked to commercial sexual exploitation.

Under the pretext of employment, Karan allegedly compelled the minor to work at the spa centre. The girl's mother has alleged that her daughter was sexually exploited during this period. The girl's father is a farmer in Dinhata; her mother had previously worked as a domestic worker in Jaipur. The rescued minor is expected to return to West Bengal on Wednesday.

The Network Behind the Case

Both AVA and Kosi Lok Manch are partner organisations of Just Rights for Children, described as India's largest child rights network, comprising more than 250 NGOs working to protect children from trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. Police have launched a formal investigation to dismantle the broader interstate trafficking network and bring all those responsible to justice.

What Rights Groups Are Saying

Ravi Kant, National Convenor of Just Rights for Children, said: 'This case once again demonstrates that trafficking is an organised interstate crime that requires an equally organised interstate response. The coordinated efforts of the West Bengal and Rajasthan Police, supported by our partner organisations, made this rescue possible. Such collaboration is vital not only to rescue children but also to dismantle trafficking networks and ensure justice for every victim. We must ensure that every person involved in trafficking is identified, prosecuted and held accountable. Prevention, timely intervention and strict enforcement must go hand in hand.'

This rescue underscores a well-documented pattern: girls from economically vulnerable border districts of West Bengal remain among the most targeted demographics for interstate trafficking networks. With the accused still at large, the outcome of the investigation will test how effectively cross-state law enforcement can convert a rescue into a prosecution.