Kolkata, Sep 11 (IANS) The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Kolkata Police has rescued 10 people, including nine minor girls, and arrested six persons for running a sex racket, the police said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the police raided a house in the Burtolla police station area of North Kolkata on Wednesday. A total of 10 people, including nine minors, were rescued from the house.
The house raided by the police was run by a middle-aged couple. The police arrested the accused Amit Banerjee and his wife Saraswati Banerjee on the spot.
Apart from this, the police have also arrested four more people on suspicion of trafficking. Among the suspected traffickers is a young woman. The names of the arrested are Suman Halder, Deep Chatterjee, Akash Chowdhury and Pooja Mistry.
Of the four traffickers, Suman’s house is in the South 24 Parganas district. The remaining three are residents of the North 24 Parganas district.
According to the police, they are between 22 and 34 years of age. The investigators are probing why the minors were brought there and whether they were brought for trafficking or running a sex racket.
A senior police officer said, “This is to inform you that yesterday, based on source information, a raid was conducted at 4/A, Gulu Ostagar Lane. During the raid, nine minor girls and one major woman were found at the place. Two brothel owners and four traffickers were arrested. An investigation has started.”
The investigators are trying to gather more information about the incident by interrogating the arrested people. The police are also trying to find out whether anyone else is involved in this gang.
It may be noted that over the years, complaints of running a sex racket are occasionally made in various spas and massage parlours in Kolkata and its adjoining areas. The police have also been conducting a series of raids to stop such incidents. On Wednesday, the Kolkata Police raided the house in the Burtolla police station area after receiving a tip-off from a source.
–IANS
sch/dpb