A major human trafficking racket has been busted in Lucknow's Krishnanagar, sending shockwaves across the state. The gang had been involved in the heinous practice of selling girls for marriage and immoral activities for the past 12 years. The police have arrested two accused in the case – Santosh Sahu, a resident of Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, and Manish Bhandari, a resident of Saketanagar, Rajasthan. The most shocking aspect is that the racket was exposed when the 16-year-old daughter of a PSO (Personal Security Officer) deployed in the Chief Minister's security went missing.
Disappearance of CM security PSO's daughter Unveils Layers of Deception
The case came to light on June 28th when a teenage girl went missing from the Krishnanagar area of Lucknow. The girl was the daughter of a PSO in the Chief Minister's security detail. While leaving home, the teenager sent a voice message to her father, saying, "Papa, don't try to find me, I am going to God." She also took idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi with her. Two days later, on June 30th, the family filed a missing person report at the Krishnanagar police station. The police investigation revealed that the teenager desired to meet a saint from Mathura, and accused Santosh Sahu exploited this sentiment.
Santosh called the teenager to Charbagh station and, under the pretext of taking her to Mathura, took her to Kanpur and then to his home in Prayagraj. There, he sold the teenager to Manish Bhandari for ₹50,000. However, when the teenager started crying and protesting, Manish got scared and returned her. In return, he returned ₹45,000 to Santosh.
Selling Girls for 12 Years
Understanding the seriousness of the matter, the police formed six teams and on July 8th, successfully recovered the teenager. The revelations made by the teenager during the interrogation stunned the police. Following this, the police arrested Santosh and Manish. During interrogation, another minor girl from Rae Bareli was also found with Santosh, and the process of rescuing her and handing her over to her family is underway.
According to DCP South Nipun Agarwal, the accused targeted lonely and helpless teenagers at public places like stations and bus stands. Santosh was so cunning that he would change his mobile number and location as soon as he sensed police suspicion. He admitted during interrogation that he had sold more than 15 girls for amounts ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹2.75 lakh.
Trafficking Network Spread Across Five States
The police investigation revealed that the gang's network extended across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan. The highest number of girls were sold in Rajasthan. Recently, a teenager was sold in Sikar for ₹2.75 lakh. The gang targeted individuals who wanted to buy girls for marriage and were willing to pay large sums for them.
Santosh has six FIRs registered against him in Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Chhattisgarh, and Pratapgarh. Manish also has two cases registered against him. Santosh has only studied up to the third grade, while Manish has studied up to the eighth grade. Manish worked as a driver in a travel agency and used this as a cover to carry out this illegal business. Both of them have previously been in jail in Chhattisgarh. The police revealed that a reward of ₹25,000 was also announced on Santosh.
Currently, the police are searching for other members of the network and raids are being conducted in several states. Following this revelation, concerns have increased among security agencies and families in the state, especially for girls who travel alone or are in helpless situations.
