Patna: A woman accused of luring vulnerable teenage girls into a human trafficking network has been arrested in Patna, police confirmed. Authorities believe she played a key role in a multi-layered trafficking operation that has abducted at least ten women, including four minors, over the past six months.
The woman allegedly approached girls around railway stations in and around Patna, offering false promises of marriage or career opportunities before handing them over to traffickers. According to police, she received a commission for each victim she recruited.
The breakthrough in the case came after the rescue of a missing teenager from Danapur, who was sold into forced marriage in Rajasthan. The Danapur police had earlier arrested four individuals involved in arranging the marriage, as well as the woman who sheltered the victim before the sale.
An ongoing interrogation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has revealed details of a five-layered trafficking network. Police say the gang initially traps girls with offers of marriage or jobs, then passes them through a chain of handlers. The third layer—believed to be the core trafficking gang—sells the victims for marriage or routes them to those running illicit sex rackets.
SSP Kartikeya K. Sharma said that a special team has been deployed to track the remaining members of the network, including its alleged ringleader, Sanjay. Raids are underway across two states in connection with the investigation.
“The arrest of this woman is a major breakthrough. We now have crucial leads about other missing girls and the structure of the trafficking network,” he said.
Police have also launched an inquiry into the woman’s finances, examining transactions made through her bank accounts, and attempting to determine the duration and geographical spread of her involvement in trafficking.
City SP (West) Bhanu Pratap Singh said that between June 17 and July 4, police successfully located and returned 48 missing individuals. Of these, 35 were girls, many of whom had married and moved away without informing families. However, the case from Danapur revealed a more disturbing pattern of organised trafficking.
The rescued teenager from Rajasthan told authorities she had been sold for Rs 1.5 lakh and forced into marriage under threat. Her testimony has helped police uncover the broader trafficking network, which they now believe has victimised numerous other young women across Bihar and beyond.
