Howrah GRP Details Child Abduction and Trafficking Operation in Court
Ten months after the dramatic rescue of a three-year-old girl from Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district, the Howrah Government Railway Police (GRP) presented a comprehensive account of the abduction case to a Howrah court on Thursday. The detailed presentation outlined the sophisticated operation of a trafficking gang that spanned from Howrah in West Bengal to Rajasthan, resulting in the arrests of two women and one man.
Advanced Technology Uncovers Trafficking Network
The investigation relied heavily on advanced C5 technology, which represents the most sophisticated form of Call Record Details (CDR) analysis available to law enforcement. This cutting-edge tool provides precise geospatial analysis that can fix exact coordinates, offering irrefutable evidence in court proceedings. The GRP utilized this technology to meticulously document the gang's movements and communications, creating a compelling evidentiary trail.
The Abduction: A Predatory Scheme at Howrah Station
According to police evidence presented by special public prosecutor Bivas Chatterjee, the incident occurred on March 5, 2025, when the three-year-old victim was waiting at Howrah railway station with her mother and elder brother. The family was preparing to board a local train to Dhaniakhali when their routine journey took a terrifying turn.
A burqa-clad woman, later identified as Shahnara Begum, approached the mother and initiated a conversation. As the discussion continued, the child began crying, prompting the accused to offer to purchase food for the distressed toddler. She skillfully convinced the mother to allow the child to accompany her to a nearby food stall, exploiting the mother's trust and the child's hunger.
From Confinement to Cross-State Trafficking
Instead of returning with food, Begum kidnapped the child and transported her to a rural address in Howrah district. There, she confined the girl for several days with the assistance of co-accused Mafuza Bibi. Following this initial confinement period, the perpetrators transported the child across state lines to Rajasthan, where she was ultimately sold to individuals in Sawai Madhopur district.
Police investigation revealed that the traffickers attempted to legitimize the child's presence in Rajasthan by creating false documentation. They presented her as Soraj Kanjar, a fabricated identity designed to conceal her true origins and circumstances. According to police statements made before media outlets, the ultimate intention was to force the victim into immoral activities once she reached an appropriate age, highlighting the predatory nature of the operation.
Rescue and Investigation Breakthrough
The Howrah GRP's Special Operations Group (SOG), led by the Officer-in-Charge who spearheaded the investigation, coordinated the successful rescue operation on March 11, 2025. The rescue came just six days after the abduction, demonstrating rapid response capabilities despite the geographical challenges involved in cross-state criminal investigations.
The court presentation detailed how the GRP traced the gang's movements through multiple states, eventually leading to the child's recovery in Rajasthan and the subsequent arrests. The use of C5 technology proved instrumental in establishing the timeline, locations, and connections between the accused individuals, providing a technological backbone to traditional investigative methods.
This case underscores the evolving challenges in combating human trafficking networks that operate across state boundaries while highlighting how advanced forensic technologies are becoming essential tools in securing convictions and protecting vulnerable populations from organized criminal enterprises.
