Girls Lured With Job Promise, Rescued From Mumbai After Months-Long Verification

Key Points:

• Four minor girls from Amrapara lured to Ambala on pretext of employment
• Girls found in suspicious circumstances in Mumbai, taken into protective custody
• Maharashtra Police handed girls to Pakur CWC after three-month verification process

PAKUR – Four minor girls from the Amrapara police station area have been rescued and reunited with their families after a trafficking attempt that took them from Jharkhand to Punjab and eventually to Mumbai. Authorities said a broker had lured the girls with the promise of employment before taking them to Ambala in Punjab.

While attempting to return home, the girls reportedly ended up in Mumbai by mistake. Maharashtra Police took them into protective custody after finding them in suspicious circumstances in the city, officials said.

A verification process spanning nearly three months followed before the girls could be cleared for return. Police then escorted all four safely back to Pakur, where they were handed over to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for further care.

The girls are currently undergoing counselling, according to officials familiar with the case. Meanwhile, police said the broader investigation remains active, with efforts focused on identifying the broker involved and tracing any wider trafficking network linked to the case.

Officials noted that Amrapara falls within a district that has previously reported cases of minors being trafficked under the pretext of employment, prompting renewed calls for stricter monitoring of labour recruitment agents operating in the region. The Palamu and neighbouring districts have also seen similar rescue operations in recent years, pointing to a persistent pattern of cross-state trafficking targeting minors from rural Jharkhand.

Investigators say establishing the identity and network of the broker remains a priority, as does determining whether other minors from the same area may have been similarly trafficked. Authorities have not yet disclosed further details on the broker’s whereabouts or any arrests made in connection with the case.