West Bengal: Human trafficking and rape victim clears class 12th
In West Bengal, a 22-year-old girl who became a victim of human trafficking and was raped multiple times during her teenage has passed her class 12 exams after overcoming trauma. The girl was sold thrice by human traffickers in different states within four months, during which she was raped by multiple men and forced to marry a guy 30 years older than her.
The court sentenced six people to 10-20 years in prison
In connection with the case of the 22-year-old woman, a POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court convicted four people to 20 years of imprisonment and two others to ten years on July 28. The Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested six suspects, including a lady and the victim's "lover," Rahul, in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Uttarakhand, from where she was eventually rescued.
She left home 7 years ago after falling in love
"By God's grace, we got her back. Whatever happened has happened. We're happy that those responsible for her plight were punished," her father, who works at a sari shop, reportedly stated. Her ordeal began seven years ago when she found a person online, fell in love with him, and left home under the guise of going to school in pursuit of a new life.
Rahul 'sold' her for Rs. 1.5 lakh to another trafficker
On January 7, 2015, she met a person at Science City in Kolkata, who drove her over 10 kms to Babughat to take a bus to Bihar, CID's Anti-Human Trafficking Unit stated. The investigation found that Rahul promised the 15-year-old girl he would return shortly but never did. It was later discovered that he had sold her for Rs. 1.5 lakh to another trafficker.
Here's all about the horrific journey of the girl
A man claiming to be Rahul's buddy transported her from the bus to Howrah and then to Bihar by train. She was resold to Kamal, who gave her to Chitra in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, officials said. Chitra, the third person to buy her, forcibly "married" her to her 45-year-old brother, who abandoned her after a month. Then, the girl was raped by Chitra's son.
Victim got a chance to telephone her mother: Officer
"It was at this time that the victim got a chance to telephone her mother using Chitra's mobile and inform her about her location," an official reportedly said. By that time, the West Bengal police had discovered that the victim's phone had been last traced in Bihar, and it had been turned off since then. Rahul, the "lover" was also arrested in Bihar.
More details regarding the case
Chitra became terrified and requested that Kamal remove the minor. Kamal and his associate Bhisham reportedly took her to Kashipur in Uttarakhand. When the duo learned that Chitra and her son Luv had been arrested, they became infuriated, raped the girl multiple times, and fled, abandoning her at Kashipur Junction railway station. Consequently, the CID team rescued the traumatic girl from the railway station.
Remained silent for months, after psychological counselling she broke down
"She was unable to speak because of trauma...remained silent for more than a month. We had to take her to a psychologist....after several sessions of counseling, she broke down....divulged details of her suffering," an officer stated. The officer expressed delight that the girl, who has resided in a government facility since her rescue in May 2015, began studying and is now eligible for college.
The girl received justice after 7 long years
Shyamal Dutta, an assistant public prosecutor at the Barasat court, expressed his delight that the girl finally received justice after seven years. "It was a long and hard battle. But I believe that justice is delayed by two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic," Dutta reportedly stated. The girl's father added that the family is now looking for a suitable match for her.
