Kantamal, July 7: Police busted an inter-state girl trafficking racket in Boudh district and arrested two persons Saturday for allegedly abducting a tribal girl, raping her and then selling her for Rs 25,000.
The Manmunda police also rescued the victim and handed her back to her family. A probe was also launched into the racket.
The accused were identified as Rajendra Rajhansa of Baghad village and Hali Ahirwa of Manjila village of Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh.
A case was registered and the two were produced in a court. Later, they were remanded to judicial custody after the court rejected their bail pleas.
Sources said the modus operandi of the racket was to first target tribal and Dalit girls and promise them lucrative jobs in the neighbouring state. Rajendra also lures girls into relationships and rapes them. After that he blackmails them and later sells them to rich businessmen.
Rajendra lured the tribal girl into a relationship and took her to his house where he raped her. He then took the girl and sold her for Rs 25,000 to Hali.
After coming to know of the matter, the girl’s family thrashed Rajendra and handed him over to the police. During interrogation, Rajendra confessed that he had sold the girl to Hali in Madhya Pradesh.
A police team went to MP, rescued the girl and arrested Hali with the help of the local police.
Police suspect that many other tribal and Dalit girls may have fallen into the trap of Rajendra.
PNN