Court transfers human trafficking case to Crime Branch

New Delhi, Jan 28 The Delhi High Court Wednesday transferred a case of illegal trafficking of youth through placement agencies to the Crime Branch of Delhi Police after pulling up local police for shoddy probe.A division bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Sanjeev Khanna was angry when Delhi Police filed the statements of 16 girls. “You (Delhi Police) have produced the statements of girls and it appears that the statements have been taken in a cyclostyled manner and only the names are changed, the rest is the same,” said the bench. The court then transferred the case to Crime Branch and asked the cell for Crime Against Women (CAW) to help in probing the case. Delhi Police counsel Mukta Gupta objected to the court’s decision and said that the probe should remain with Delhi Police as the Crime Branch was not equipped with women personnel. The court, however, rejected all objections. It also sought a detailed explanation from the four Metropolitan Magistrates, who have recorded the girls’ statements, asking why they all are similar. The court also asked the home ministry and the National Commission for Women (NCW) to reply within a week. The court was hearing a public interest petition filed by an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, alleging that placement agencies were responsible for the illegal trafficking of girls and sought a direction to the state government for compulsory registration of all such agencies. According to the NGO, early this month about 35 girls and four boys were rescued from various placement agencies in the national capital. Last week, the court had asked police why they had not registered the case under the appropriate sections of law against the placement agencies. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) N.S. Bundela told the court they had taken legal advice before registering a first information report (FIR) on the charges of criminal breach of trust against the placement agencies for illegal trafficking of young boys and girls on the pretext of providing them jobs as domestic help.

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