How Darjeeling Students Helped Bust An International Human Trafficking Racket

In an incredible feat, the intervention by a group of schoolchildren helped in exposing an internationally-run sex trafficking ring, even leading to the arrest of the operation’s kingpin. It all began when non-governmental organisation Mankind in Action for Rural Growth (MARG) was informed by Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organisation, about a 15-year-old girl who had gone missing from Sidhupalchowk, a remote village in Nepal. The information came through one of twelve Students Against Trafficking Clubs (SATC) that the NGO established in various schools across Darjeeling. Through the SATC, students from class 10, 11 and 12 are informed and made aware about human and sex trafficking-related issues.

“We had alerted our SATC regarding the missing girl. Four of our students from an SATC we run in a school located in the remote part of the district bordering Nepal managed to trace [the girl] on a social network site and befriended her,” stated Nirnay John Chettri, President of MARG, to Hindustan Times. As per the report, the students acted as residents of Nepal, inquiring about possible job opportunities. The 15-year-old introduced the SATC members to a ‘friend’ in the national capital who in turn offered them jobs for Rs. 15,000 as salary, although the job would be as bar dancers and to “entertain guests physically” in Delhi.

More proof of the fraudulent activities carried our by members of the sex trafficking ring was uncovered when the students raised the issue of them being caught while travelling across the India-Nepal border. What they found out was that by emailing in their photographs, a fake Aadhaar card is created for the girls and sent across along with an ‘appointment letter’--all of this within twenty minutes.

“The students then laid a trap, stating that they would run away from their homes for Delhi. They requested the person in Delhi to send someone to meet them in Panitanki on the Indo-Nepal border, located in the plains of the Darjeeling district,” stated Chettri. June 8 was the date that was set, a man and woman arrived at the pre-decided meeting point, and this is where they were caught by the police.

“The whole evening, we continued chatting with the Delhi people from where we learnt that a girl from their group had boarded the Rajdhani Express to pick up our SATC girls from the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station (NJP) on June 9,” said Chettri.

Members of MARG accompanied the police on June 18 to nab the alleged kingpin, Gagan Verma, from his residence in Gurugram. It was found out, though not completely confirmed as yet, that he was involved in the trafficking of a great number of girls from the north-eastern regions of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Nepal.

According to reports, the entire racket was largely operational in the National Capital Region, more so in Gurugram and Delhi’s Mudrika area. Though Sunni Tamang, the kingpins so-called ‘right hand man,’ attempted to evade capture by fleeing to Nepal, MARG informed Maiti Nepal that he too was captured at the border of Nepal and West Bengal on June 18.

In an ideal world, we may one day be free of these heinous human beings, but until then we can only hope that brave individuals like those from the SATC and involved NGOs will be around with a watchful eye, and hopefully, once again, save the day.

Click here to read the full report by Hindustan Times.You can read more from MARG about the bust in this Facebook post.