Broken Promises, Rescued Lives: The Story Of 56 Women Saved From Trafficking On A Train In West Bengal

Alert railway staff rescued 56 women from a human trafficking attempt on the Capital Express at New Jalpaiguri.

REPRESENTATIVE PICTURE

A massive human trafficking attempt was foiled on Monday evening in New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station, as 56 young women were rescued by railway authorities from the New Jalpaiguri-Patna Capital Express and two people who were with them were arrested. The rescue operation was initiated by suspicious movements observed by alert railway officials.

The alarm was sounded when ticket checking personnel and Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials spotted a large number of young women, between 18 and 31 years of age, traveling together in one group without proper tickets. During a routine check by RPF at the originating point, a crucial lead was found: the women had their coach and berth numbers marked on their palms rather than being given proper tickets or documents.

The women, who were rescued from Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar districts of West Bengal, informed officials that they were to be employed at a company in Bengaluru.

Questioning the group further led the RPF to find a man and a woman travelling with the group, both of whom were named Jitendra Kumar Paswan and Chandrima Kaur. Their versions were not clear; they could not explain why the women, who were promised employment in Bengaluru, were being taken to Bihar. Most importantly, they were not able to show any documents confirming job offers or the official reasons for the trip. Both of them were arrested on the spot. They were produced in court on Tuesday and remanded in police custody for seven days.

After the successful operation, all 56 women have now been safely returned home.

The RPF and the Government Railway Police have initiated a joint probe into the case, focusing specifically on revealing the size of the racket of human trafficking. West Bengal's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has an Anti Human Trafficking Cell (AHTU), contact details of which are 033-24506114, reflecting the state's persistent efforts to counter such offenses. The incident reflects the imperative role of railway vigilance in regulating human trafficking rings.