4 arrested in Bareilly for trafficking 15yo from Varanasi

Bareilly: Four people, including a woman from Nepal, have been arrested in connection with the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl from Varanasi who was forced into prostitution in Bareilly, police said on Sunday.The case came to light three days ago when the girl, who had left home on Jan 5 after being scolded by her parents over household chores, managed to escape from a hotel and approached a local police station. Following her statement, police on Saturday arrested Vinod, Neha Khan, Jasleen Kaur, and Durga Lavati of Nepal's Panchthar district. Another associate Khalil Khan remains at large.SSP Anurag Arya said the girl told police she met a woman named Riya at Varanasi junction after leaving home. She was taken in for a few days before being brought to Bareilly and allegedly sold to Neha Khan. "Khan and her associate Vinod confined the girl and forced her into the sex trade using a fake Aadhaar card with a falsified birth year of 2007 to present her as an adult," said Arya.SP (city) Manush Pareek added that the girl was taken to hotels, where she alleged she was beaten and threatened when she resisted. "She developed infections and fever but was only given over-the-counter medication and forced to continue. Jasleen and Durga later joined in monitoring her," he said.An FIR has been registered under sections 98 (selling child for purposes of prostitution), 99 (buying child for purposes of prostitution), 127(2) (wrongful confinement), 143(3) (trafficking), 144(1) (exploitation of trafficked person), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 337 (forgery of record of court or of public register) of BNS; section 3/4(2) of Pocso Act and section 5 of Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956."The girl has been admitted to the district hospital and the arrested have been sent to jail. Investigations are also underway against hotel operators who allowed entry without proper verification," the SP added.