A Bangladeshi girl, Sona (name changed), 14, who was rescued by police from the Vijayawada railway station, has been staying at an NGO home here for the last more than five months.
Police took her into custody after some miscreants were found following her in October last year. Sona came to Vijayawada from Kolkata with her cousin Jasmine, who later disappeared.
The girl was handed over to the NGO, Childline, and she was accommodated at a home run by Navajeevan Bala Bhavan. Sona was an inmate of Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar district in Chittagong division of Bangladesh. The camp is run by the Bangladesh Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
Childline suspects that Sona was brought to Vijayawada via Kolkata as part of a human trafficking racket.
Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member J. Jayaraj said Sona spoke only Bengali and was keen on joining her family. “The CWC contacted its Kolkata branch, which declined to take up the task. We are counselling the girl and are making efforts to send her to her parents,” he added.
City Police Commissioner A.B. Venkateswara Rao said police were prepared to help Sona return to her family in the refugee camp. “Police will speak to the Bangladesh Embassy and make arrangements for her return. We will also try to find out how she came to India,” Mr. Rao said and urged the CWC to provide necessary details to police for speeding up the process.
Childline suspects that Sona from Bangladesh was brought to the city via Kolkata as part of a human trafficking racket
