Human trafficking: CBI arrests couple from Asansol
The Statesman | 13 August 2025
The CBI raided Haji Nagar in the Railpar area under Asansol North police station in connection with a human trafficking case and arrested a couple last evening.
The raids, conducted by the CBI team and supported by heavily armed CRPF personnel, created a huge stir in Asansol’s Railpar area, as hundreds of locals gathered at Asansol North police station alleging that human trafficking rackets were active in the area and that many girls had gone missing over the past few years.
Sources said that Rani Khatoon and Mohammed Bilal, a couple from Haji Nagar in Railpar, Asansol, were arrested by the CBI and taken to Nizam Palace in Kolkata by road for interrogation. They were later produced in court, with the agency seeking custody for further investigation.
The raid in Asansol was led by Mukesh Kumar of the CBI. Agency sources alleged that the couple worked for human trafficking rackets, luring poor girls into marriage with so-called ‘worthy’ men and then selling them to other states.
In one such case, a girl from Railpar, Asansol North, was married in Burdwan in 2024. A few days later, she was sold to another person. Struggling to cope with her ordeal, she eventually gathered the courage to escape and reached Raina police station in East Burdwan district, where she lodged an FIR.
Surprisingly, Raina police took no action, even after considerable time had passed. The victim was then forced to file a case in the Calcutta High Court, which subsequently ordered a CBI probe into the incident.
Based on information provided by the victim, the CBI arrested the couple from Haji Nagar, Asansol North, and is now working to identify other members of the racket and determine how many girls have been sold to date.