SSB Rescues 115 Trafficked Youths from Assam in Bihar Racket
Guwahati: The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has uncovered a human trafficking network targeting underprivileged and illiterate youths from rural, remote areas of Assam, luring them with promises of profitable jobs in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh.
This revelation came after the rescue of 115 individuals, aged 15 to 35, including 39 minors and 48 women, from Samastipur in Bihar on June 17. The operation was carried out by Mission Mukti Foundation, a Delhi-based rescue and relief organization, in coordination with the SSB. Among the rescued, 25 were from West Bengal, and the remaining were from Assam.
Inspector Manoj Kumar Sharma of the SSB Sector Headquarters in Mangaldoi, Assam, stated, “The youths rescued from Samastipur hail from different parts of Assam, including remote villages in Tamulpur district along the Indo-Bhutan border, Udalguri, Tinsukia, and Biswanath Chariali.”
The inspector explained that traffickers lured the youths with promises of high-paying jobs and transported them to Bihar. “The traffickers charged Rs 25,000 per person for the journey to Bihar. Once there, the victims were confined in rented rooms and forced to lure other acquaintances under the pretext of government jobs. Joining fees were collected, and the entire network operated as an organized fraud and human trafficking gang,” he added.
The victims were provided minimal food using a small portion of the money extorted from them during trafficking. The case came to light when a female victim contacted her elder sister, who lived in a village along the Indo-Bhutan border, and informed her about the racket. The sister then alerted the SSB through the Assam Centre for Rural Development (ACRD), an NGO. “The victim was trafficked to Bihar on January 27. She attempted to escape but failed,” the inspector noted.
“Subsequently, Mission Mukti Foundation, with assistance from the SSB and Bihar Police, rescued the victims from a location under the jurisdiction of Muffasil Police Station in Samastipur, Bihar. The process of repatriating the victims to their homes is ongoing,” he said.
The inspector added that nine traffickers have been arrested, including two from Assam and seven from Bihar.
Meanwhile, Mission Mukti Foundation Director Virender Singh told TOI that this is a serious concern, as traffickers target financially weaker sections by luring them with high-paying jobs in other states. “There may be thousands of trafficking victims in other parts of Bihar. Falling into such traps can lead to trafficking. Awareness and education are crucial to preventing such cases,” he added.
