Amresh Parab
Panaji: One of the most heinous crimes plaguing the society is human trafficking involving illegal trade of humans for sexual exploitation, with Goa police now facing a new challenge from the traffickers, who provide fake identities to the victims.
According to sources in police, this is done to derail investigation when the victims are rescued.
Fake identities of the trafficking victims are also a cause for security concern, as Goa police rescued five Bangladeshi nationals, who were victims of trafficking, in the last couple of years with fake Aadhaar cards.
Police sources said that one of the two Indian survivors of human trafficking, who were rescued recently by the crime branch police, is a minor. The traffickers had reportedly forged her documents not only to hide her identity but to also conceal her age.
Following the revelation, police have now contacted the victim’s family in Bihar and sought her documents for age verification.
“This is done to conceal the identity of the victims so that police or other enforcement agencies are unable to track the victims’ native places. This also delays the probe,” a police officer said referring to the modus operandi of the traffickers.
Director and founder of anti-sex trafficking NGO Anyay Rahit Zindagi (ARZ) Arun Pandey said that the NGO has taken steps to bring the issue to the attention of the police.
He said steps are also being taken to bring the issue to the notice of the Home Ministry for suitable action. He said many of the forged Aadhaar documents of the trafficking victims appear to have been generated in West Bengal.
“This as a serious issue linked not only to sex trafficking but also to national security. We have taken steps to bring this matter to the attention of the authorities,” said Pandey.
He said the primary purpose of these forged documents is to mislead the law enforcement agencies on the victims’ age and nationality, thereby delaying rescue, investigation and prosecution.
