Four people, including a woman from Nepal, have been arrested in connection with trafficking a 15-year-old girl from Varanasi, who was forced into prostitution in Bareilly. The victim escaped from a hotel and approached a local police station, revealing the operation.
Police identified the arrested individuals as:
Vinod – local accomplice
Neha Khan – buyer and trafficker of the victim
Jasleen Kaur – accomplice monitoring the girl
Durga Lavati – woman from Panchthar district, Nepal, involved in monitoring
Another associate, Khalil Khan, remains at large.
According to SSP Anurag Arya, the girl met a woman named Riya at Varanasi Junction after leaving home on January 5. She was then brought to Bareilly and allegedly sold to Neha Khan. To bypass age restrictions, Khan and Vinod used a fake Aadhaar card listing a 2007 birth year to present the girl as an adult.
SP (City) Manush Pareek said the girl was taken to multiple hotels, where she was beaten and threatened when resisting. Jasleen Kaur and Durga Lavati later joined in monitoring her. The victim developed infections and fever but was only given over-the-counter medication while being forced to continue in prostitution.
An FIR has been registered under multiple sections, including BNS 98, 99, 127(2), 143(3), 144(1), 115(2), 337, Section 3/4(2) of the POCSO Act, and Section 5 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The girl is now admitted to the district hospital. Authorities confirmed that the arrested have been sent to jail and investigations continue against hotel operators who allowed her entry without proper verification.
