Jaipur: Jhalawar police have cracked an interstate human trafficking network that allegedly preyed on minor girls from economically disadvantaged families, transporting them across state lines and forcing them into prostitution through dance bars in major cities, officials said on Friday.
Rescue and Arrests
Police reported that 10 girls, including seven minors, were rescued during the operation. Five alleged members of the trafficking ring have been arrested, while one more suspect has been detained. The arrested individuals have been identified as Ramkanya Kanjar (53), Bhimshankar alias Bhima (28), Ankush Karmavat (26), Ramesh Kanjar (55), and Sunny Kanjar (40). Banti Kanjar has been detained. Police stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend suspects in Mumbai and other states as the investigation continues.
Investigation and Modus Operandi
Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said the investigation began after reports indicated possible trafficking links in Jhalawar district. As families of the girls allegedly refused to cooperate, police formed a special team led by Additional SP Shyorajmal Meena to conduct a confidential inquiry. The probe revealed that an organized network targeted financially distressed families from the Kanjar community, promising jobs, financial assistance, and a better future for their daughters. Investigators allege the girls were trafficked and later sold to brokers operating in cities such as Mumbai and Nagpur.
Police said the accused forged Aadhaar and other identity documents to inflate the ages of minors, presenting them as adults before placing them in dance bars and pushing them into the commercial sex trade. Officials further alleged that traffickers changed victims' names and addresses using fake documentation to make tracing them difficult.
Key Breakthrough
A major breakthrough occurred when Jhalawar police coordinated with Mumbai police after four girls rescued in a Prevention of Immoral Traffic Act case registered at Nerul police station in Navi Mumbai were brought back to Rajasthan. Police said two of those girls were found to be minors despite documents claiming they were adults, highlighting the alleged use of forged records. A Special Investigation Team was then formed, and teams were dispatched to multiple states. With assistance from Mumbai police, Jhalawar police rescued four additional girls from Mumbai and detained a suspect allegedly linked to the racket. Separate teams also recovered one girl each from Bundi and Tonk districts.
Network Structure
According to police, analysis of seized mobile phones and digital devices revealed a three-tier structure involving local recruiters, regional brokers, and metropolitan operators. Investigators said local agents identified girls in vulnerable households and passed details to middlemen, who allegedly used false promises and financial inducements, obtained signatures and thumb impressions on stamp papers, and sold victims onward.
Police described agreements recovered during the probe as “shocking and inhuman,” alleging they contained clauses requiring families to repay several times the received amount if a girl tried to escape, and stating liability would end only if the victim died.
