Nearly a year after a minor girl went missing from East Burdwan district, the Central Bureau of Investigation rescued her from Pali district in Rajasthan on Saturday. The girl, who had left home for tuition in August last year and never returned, was allegedly kidnapped and illegally sold twice for marriage.
The CBI has arrested five accused — Bharat Kumar, Jagadish Kumar, Mena Dapuben, Rata Ram, and Dilip Kumar — in connection with the case. Investigators revealed that though the girl was a minor at the time of her disappearance, her marriage affidavit falsely stated she was an adult. Officials suspect this could be part of a larger human trafficking network.
The case dates back to August 9, 2024. After the local police failed to make progress, the investigation was handed over to the CID (Criminal Investigation Department), which also proved unsuccessful. The girl’s mother then moved the Calcutta High Court, which transferred the case to the CBI earlier this year.
“We took over the probe into the girl’s disappearance on February 16, 2025, and through analysis of sources and call records, traced the girl’s location in Pali. A raid was conducted, and the victim was rescued,” said a CBI officer in Kolkata.
The officer, after interrogating the arrested suspects, said the girl was sold twice for marriage. He said: "It is clear that she fell victim of human trafficking being operated by a widespread network.”
According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, crimes against women in India have been rising— from 3,78,236 cases in 2018 to 4,45,256 in 2022. Incidents of human trafficking are also increasing at an alarming rate, raising concerns among law enforcement and administrative officials.
“She has been rescued only because of the CBI’s investigation. The state agencies failed to make any headway after we lodged a complaint with the police. The state’s specialised wing CID’s probe, too, drew a blank,” said a family member of the rescued girl.
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