Two Telugu States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recorded maximum number of human trafficking cases in the country after Assam and West Bengal in 2015.
Data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2015 showed that Assam and West Bengal registered 1,494 and 1,255 such cases respectively, while Tamil Nadu is at the third place with 577 cases.
Telangana, which was part of united Andhra Pradesh before 2014, registered 561 cases. Andhra Pradesh recorded only 274 cases. Together, the two States had third biggest number of these cases (835).
While many expressed concern over the dubious distinction, the police officers from the two States observe that the higher number of cases registered vis-a-vis other States was a result of the pro-active policing.
Erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, along with Maharasthra, Goa, Bihar and West Bengal, was chosen for a pilot project to check human trafficking. The project was taken up jointly by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC).
As part of the project, police personnel from the level of head constable and Sub-Inspector to IPS officers were trained on how to crack human trafficking cases. Earlier, orientation was to catch the criminal in such cases.
Under the pilot project, focus was shifted to check the crime after catching the criminal. “Rescuing the victims and based on their evidence fixing the racketeers of human trafficking was the core idea. Through this, we could catch more offenders and naturally number of cases registered went up,” a police officer explained.
Human trafficking in Telugu States was mostly related to flesh trade. Girls and women were being brought from different parts of the country to these States. They were forced into prostitution.
“During raids in Rachakonda Commissionerate only, women from Goa, Delhi, Pune and Bhiwandi were rescued,” recalled Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M. Bhagwat. Though the pilot project was over in 2009, police in the united AP and subsequently in the two States continued the drive against human trafficking.
Acting on the information gathered through the rescued victims, police from the two States had raided brothels at other States. Scores of Telugu women and minors forced into prostitution were set free.
