Motihari: A shocking case involving the disappearance of more than 100 women and girls from the India–Nepal border areas of Bihar over the past six months has been brought before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Bihar State Human Rights Commission. Human rights lawyer SK Jha has filed two separate petitions, demanding urgent investigation and action.
Jha claimed that powerful international human trafficking networks are operating in regions adjoining Motihari, targeting girls and women and selling them within India as well as in Nepal, China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia for huge sums of money. He described the situation as “extremely sensitive and a stain on humanity,” raising serious concerns over policing and administrative failures.
In his petition, Jha cited a news report published on November 30 in the Motihari edition of a Hindi daily, which first highlighted the alarming pattern of disappearances. He stressed that the trafficking routes are not limited to India but stretch to multiple foreign destinations.
Victims Include Married Women, Several Still Missing
Cases of missing women have been registered in police stations located in Raxaul, Adapur, Ramgarhwa, and Harpur. In one instance, four girls belonging to the same family in Chainpur, Adapur, were rescued following swift intervention by the local police. However, many others reported missing remain untraceable.
Some cases involve married women, including a woman who vanished from her maternal home in Ramgarhwa Bazaar on June 6 while her in-laws reside across the border in Nepal. Another case concerns Vijay Pandey of Ratanpur in Raxaul, registered on June 10.
Trafficking for Surrogacy, Forced Marriage, Organ Harvesting
Anti-trafficking organisations working along the border revealed that victims are trafficked for surrogacy, illegal marriages, sexual exploitation, drug smuggling and even the sale of body organs.
Ranjit Singh, President of Swachh Raxaul, and Aarti, coordinator of Prayas, along with SSB Inspector Vikas Kumar, stated that girls are also coerced into transporting drugs across borders. Despite a few successful rescue operations, only a fraction — around five percent — of the missing girls are recovered.
How Traffickers Lure Their Targets
Investigations highlight three primary methods used by trafficking syndicates:
- Love Trap via Social Media: Girls aged 18 to 25 from remote regions of Nepal are targeted online. Traffickers develop romantic relationships and lure them with promises of a better life. Once they cross the border, some are forced into marriage while others are sold into red-light markets.
- Job Offers for Financially Vulnerable Girls: With limited educational opportunities and poor economic conditions, many girls fall victim to fake employment offers. Video calls with already-trafficked girls are used to gain trust before selling them to agents across borders.
- Buying Girls From Impoverished Families: In some mountainous areas of Nepal, families struggling with poverty sell their daughters to contractors disguised as labour agents. These girls are later exploited, abused and trafficked further.
Weak Enforcement Drives the Syndicate
NGO workers say they regularly alert police about suspected trafficking cases but are restricted from taking legal action themselves. They allege investigations often stop at minor facilitators, allowing major traffickers to operate freely and evade accountability.
Lawyer Jha has urged the Human Rights Commissions to order a high-level inquiry to trace the missing girls and dismantle the trafficking network.
He stated that timely intervention is crucial because behind every missing case, there is a young life at risk — and a criminal machinery running unchecked along the border.
