Banda police arrested Balram, an accomplice of the main accused in a human trafficking case, on Wednesday. He was allegedly involved in selling a woman for Rs 1.38 lakh and forcing her into marriage. Acting on a tip-off, the Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) apprehended Balram near the mortuary behind the police lines for aiding the main accused in executing the crime.
The survivor, a resident of Manikpur Dadapur in Chitrakoot, filed a complaint with the AHTU police station on November 22. She alleged that her mother, Munni, and brother, Jaynarayan, brought her to Banda on November 20 and sold her to Krishna Kumar, son of Shivram and a resident of Palwal, Haryana, for Rs 1.38 lakh. The woman, who was already married, was forced into marriage with Krishna Kumar. Munni and Jaynarayan have been booked, and police are actively searching for them.
Following the complaint, AHTU registered a case under relevant sections and began an investigation. Based on evidence and the woman’s statement, Krishna Kumar was arrested on November 25 and remanded to jail, while efforts continue to apprehend the remaining accused.
The woman had married Aditya, a Bihar native, two years ago and had returned to her maternal home 10 days before the incident. She stated that her mother and brother arranged her marriage with the Haryana man at a temple in the Baberu police station area on November 20, using a fake Aadhaar card to conceal her identity.
The AHTU team recorded the woman’s statement before a magistrate and conducted a medical examination. After verifying all facts, a case was registered against the accused.
