- By Surarika Das
- Fri, 05 Jun 2026 01:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Jagran Correspondent | Lucknow: Lucknow police have arrested two men, along with a woman and a juvenile, in an interstate human trafficking racket where minor girls were lured and sold them in Rajasthan. Two gang members remain on the run.
Additional District Commissioner of Police, R Vasant claimed that Kamlesh, a resident of Ganiyar village in Mohanlalganj, was arrested on May 12. The complainant said that his granddaughters had been lured by a relative and his accomplice. The girls were 16 and 12 years old, respectively. DCP formed four police teams to investigate the case. The investigation team scanned nearly 150 CCTV cameras. The police finally discovered both the minors in one of the footages. On May 18, they were rescued.
During the interrogation, the girls claimed that they were taken to Rajasthan and were being sold under the pretext of marriage.
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What Did The Investigation Reveal?
The cops found out that the gang particularly targeted weak and poor girls. The fraudsters lured them with promises of providing better life conditions.
The gang members were identified as Anurag Yadav, a resident of Poorepadrak Kodras Bijur in the Mill Area of Rae Bareli, Akhtar, a resident of Korihar Satav in Gurubakshganj, Priya Patel alias Sheela, a resident of Poore Bhola Majorganj in Bhadokhar, and a 17-year-old juvenile. Police arrested all four near the Atrauli crossing late Wednesday night.
Mohanlalganj Inspector Brijesh Tripathi said during interrogation, Priya Patel revealed that she met Sonam and her husband Bhupendra Chaudhary in 2020. The two then began searching for teenage girls for them. The gang lured the girls to Rae Bareli and sent their photographs to Rajasthan. Once the deal was finalised, they were taken there and sold under the pretext of marriage.
The accused admitted that they received between one and one and a half lakh rupees for each teenage girl. The police said the gang had been active for the past six years and had sold more than 20 teenage girls. The investigation also revealed that two sisters from Rae Bareli were also sold to Rajasthan a few days ago.