Twin tale of atrocities, both from Haryana, came to light when two women, from Assam and West Bengal, were rescued in separate incidents of forced marriage. The duo was trafficked from their respective States on the pretext of good jobs and allegedly sold off for forced marriages.
Thirty-five-year-old Arzu (name changed) was rescued from a village in Bhiwani in a joint rescue operation of the Haryana Police and NGO Shakti Vahini on July 9.
Six-month pregnant
She was trafficked from Guwahati by three persons and later sold off as a bride in Haryana. At the time of the rescue, she was six-month pregnant.
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Arzu was unable to disclose many details about her ordeal since she only speaks Bangla.
She said: “My three-year-old child is in Assam with my parents. I want to go back to them. I do not understand anything here. I am pregnant, but I was not even taken for a check-up.”
She said she was sold off to one Jaipal for about Rs.30,000. Though Muslim, she was forcibly married to a Hindu man and her name changed to hide her identity.
“Her parents were unable to contact her since the past eight months. They had not lodged any missing complaint and were looking for her on their own,” DSP, South Salmara, Parthopratim Sakia, told The Hindu over telephone.
Battered condition
Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini said: “We received information about her in a battered condition in the village. A raid was conducted and she was rescued.” Her village is situated on the banks of the Brahmaputra, where the communication system is still very challenging. The region is prone to trafficking, the locals police said.
In yet another incident, Roma (name changed), a 17-year-old from West Bengal, was rescued from Jhajjar on July 16. She had been missing since June 1.
Around two months ago, a family friend named Boddha asked Roma to accompany him to his home, approximately 150 km away from her village, and stay for a week. However, she got suspicious as he took a different route.
Raped
When she enquired about it, Boddha revealed that he was going to sell her as a bride in Haryana. During one of their halts, he allegedly raped her. At Khanpur Khurd, a small village in Jhajjar, Boddha allegedly sold her off to a differently-abled man named Sunil for Rs.65,000.
A team of local police led by Senior Sub-Inspector Tapan Shasan along with the girl’s parents reached Delhi and took her custody from the Child Welfare Committee. Sunil was arrested with the help of the Haryana Police.