Lucknow: Lucknow Police have arrested the alleged kingpins of an inter-state child trafficking racket — a Rajasthan-based couple accused of sourcing minor girls from Uttar Pradesh and selling them into forced marriages. Investigators say the duo has trafficked nearly a dozen girls since 2018.
The accused, Sonam and her husband Bhupendra Chaudhary, were arrested from Kota district in Rajasthan after sustained raids, nearly a week after police busted the gang and rescued two minor sisters from Mohanlalganj who were being taken to Rajasthan.
Modus Operandi Revealed
A senior officer said that during questioning, the couple claimed they had been running a similar racket in Bihar since 2018 and had recently expanded operations to Uttar Pradesh. Sonam, originally from Rajasthan, had married Bhupendra from Bhagalpur, Bihar, and the two allegedly began trafficking girls for money.
“They were picked up from Kota on transit remand and are being brought to Lucknow for detailed interrogation to establish the full modus operandi,” the officer said. Probe so far suggests a structured network involving local recruiters, transporters and buyers. Police are analysing bank transactions, mobile data and WhatsApp chats to identify more victims and accomplices.
How the Racket Operated
The case surfaced on May 12 after a Mohanlalganj resident reported her two granddaughters, aged 16 and 12, missing. On June 4, police arrested Anurag Yadav, Mohammad Akhtar, Priya Patel alias Sheila and a juvenile and rescued the girls. Police said Priya was linked to Sonam and helped lure vulnerable girls by offering jobs, gifts or reunion with family members.
In this case, the victims were told they would meet their mother. The girls' grandmother was paid Rs 1.5 lakh each for the granddaughters. They were first taken to Rae Bareli, given clothes, photographed and their images shared via WhatsApp with the Rajasthan-based handlers. Once approved, deals were allegedly struck and the girls were to be transported to Bambori village in Kota for marriage in exchange for money.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow
Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news. Download the TOI App.
