KANPUR: Has Kanpur become a hub of human-traffickers? This seems to be indicated, if the statistics with a central investigating agency are to bebelieved. As many as 60 children have gone missing in highly mysterious circumstances in and around the industrial city within a span of six months.
A senior police official in the state capital too admitted that there is a need for serious approach towards the cases of missing children. "Taking cognizance of the media reports as well as figures available with social organisations regarding the missing children from Kanpur, the investigating agency had sought a detailed report from the Kanpur police in this regard," the official added.
Sources say that only recently a group of children rescued by the Bihar police were found to be mostly from the Kanpur region.
Not only this, the GRP, on June 13 last, rescued 11 children between 11 and 15 years of age from the 2307 Howrah-Jodhpur Express and arrested three persons in this connection at the Kanpur Central Railway Station.
According to GRP, the three accused identified as Mulayam Makhal of Kolkata, Mohammad Akbar Imam and Umesh of Gaya district in Bihar after abducting the 11 children were taking them to Jaipur to the agents there, involved in human-trafficking.
All these lead to the worrying question whether the members of human trafficking racket are spreading their tentacles in and around the industrial city.
"There may be many such gangs in hiding here. Most of them are new recruits and do not have a past criminal record. It becomes quite difficult to track down such miscreants," said a senior police official further.
Another police official said that even the DGP office had asked the Kanpur police to conduct preliminary inquiries and register cases of missing, kidnapping and abduction within the meaning and provisions of sections 361-374 of the Indian Penal Code and to take legal action under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000/06, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956.
Giving details about the missing children, a police official said that the maximum number of children were reported missing from areas like Barra, Naubasta, Kidwainagar and various rural pockets of the district and here mostly people from economically weaker sections reside.
Grief-stricken kin of those missing keep running from pillar to post to trace out their lost loved ones. On an average, it was found that in most of the cases victims were from 8 to 15 years of age.
Going by the earlier records, missing children are being used in trafficking, flesh-trade, begging rackets and even organ trade. As per the studies made by a city -based child helpline nearly 8-9 children unaccompanied by their parents reach Kanpur Central railway station daily.
According to a social worker, "There are gangs who pick up children forcibly. Such incidents keep happening with frightening pace here in the industrial city," said she.
Another member of child helpline said that what helps the gangs is the facility of direct trains from Kanpur to Delhi-Bihar-Howrah and Mumbai. The kingpins hardly visit anywhere to make the deal. According to him, "They recruit persons who are least noticeable, so that they are not suspected."
Social organisations are convinced there is a big human trafficking racket waiting to be unearthed in the region. At the moment, they are focussed on trying to locate the `dalals' involved in trafficking. "You might be aware of 'Chachas' (uncles) with trafficked children, I have so often heard of these 'Chachas', who bring cheap minor labourers into the city in return for a commission," said Rajshekhar, a coordinator with `Sathi', an NGO fighting against human trafficking.
And only recently, two minor girls were freed from the clutches of a `Baba' from the Kanpur Central railway station, when the girls were at the verge of being supplied to a third party. The victims identified as Uma Devi, 10, and Shyam Kali, 12, were later handed over to their respective parents.
Similarly, the cops of the Government Railway police (GRP) freed a child, Bittu Sisaudiya, from the clutches of his abductors at the Kanpur Central railway station on August 31. The abductors identified as Manoj, Raj Srivastava alias Ravi, Raghuveer and Vishnu, were nailed down by the GRP sleuths.
Commenting on the issue, a senior police official, however, said "There are occasional complaints of missing children. And if there are any, then those are mostly cases of elopement of minor girls or sometime marriage by consent," he said. He added that the problem has a larger social dimension to it. "It is not essentially a law and order problem," he said, adding that organisations working here need to study this and come up with solutions instead of merely making wild allegations.
However, queries made by TOI revealed that very little or no headway had been made by the police in many such cases. In fact, in most of these cases the police stations concerned were ignorant about the progress of the cases and could not give any information.
A senior police official in the state capital too admitted that there is a need for serious approach towards the cases of missing children. "Taking cognizance of the media reports as well as figures available with social organisations regarding the missing children from Kanpur, the investigating agency had sought a detailed report from the Kanpur police in this regard," the official added.
Sources say that only recently a group of children rescued by the Bihar police were found to be mostly from the Kanpur region.
Not only this, the GRP, on June 13 last, rescued 11 children between 11 and 15 years of age from the 2307 Howrah-Jodhpur Express and arrested three persons in this connection at the Kanpur Central Railway Station.
According to GRP, the three accused identified as Mulayam Makhal of Kolkata, Mohammad Akbar Imam and Umesh of Gaya district in Bihar after abducting the 11 children were taking them to Jaipur to the agents there, involved in human-trafficking.
All these lead to the worrying question whether the members of human trafficking racket are spreading their tentacles in and around the industrial city.
"There may be many such gangs in hiding here. Most of them are new recruits and do not have a past criminal record. It becomes quite difficult to track down such miscreants," said a senior police official further.
Another police official said that even the DGP office had asked the Kanpur police to conduct preliminary inquiries and register cases of missing, kidnapping and abduction within the meaning and provisions of sections 361-374 of the Indian Penal Code and to take legal action under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000/06, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956.
Giving details about the missing children, a police official said that the maximum number of children were reported missing from areas like Barra, Naubasta, Kidwainagar and various rural pockets of the district and here mostly people from economically weaker sections reside.
Grief-stricken kin of those missing keep running from pillar to post to trace out their lost loved ones. On an average, it was found that in most of the cases victims were from 8 to 15 years of age.
Going by the earlier records, missing children are being used in trafficking, flesh-trade, begging rackets and even organ trade. As per the studies made by a city -based child helpline nearly 8-9 children unaccompanied by their parents reach Kanpur Central railway station daily.
According to a social worker, "There are gangs who pick up children forcibly. Such incidents keep happening with frightening pace here in the industrial city," said she.
Another member of child helpline said that what helps the gangs is the facility of direct trains from Kanpur to Delhi-Bihar-Howrah and Mumbai. The kingpins hardly visit anywhere to make the deal. According to him, "They recruit persons who are least noticeable, so that they are not suspected."
Social organisations are convinced there is a big human trafficking racket waiting to be unearthed in the region. At the moment, they are focussed on trying to locate the `dalals' involved in trafficking. "You might be aware of 'Chachas' (uncles) with trafficked children, I have so often heard of these 'Chachas', who bring cheap minor labourers into the city in return for a commission," said Rajshekhar, a coordinator with `Sathi', an NGO fighting against human trafficking.
And only recently, two minor girls were freed from the clutches of a `Baba' from the Kanpur Central railway station, when the girls were at the verge of being supplied to a third party. The victims identified as Uma Devi, 10, and Shyam Kali, 12, were later handed over to their respective parents.
Similarly, the cops of the Government Railway police (GRP) freed a child, Bittu Sisaudiya, from the clutches of his abductors at the Kanpur Central railway station on August 31. The abductors identified as Manoj, Raj Srivastava alias Ravi, Raghuveer and Vishnu, were nailed down by the GRP sleuths.
Commenting on the issue, a senior police official, however, said "There are occasional complaints of missing children. And if there are any, then those are mostly cases of elopement of minor girls or sometime marriage by consent," he said. He added that the problem has a larger social dimension to it. "It is not essentially a law and order problem," he said, adding that organisations working here need to study this and come up with solutions instead of merely making wild allegations.
However, queries made by TOI revealed that very little or no headway had been made by the police in many such cases. In fact, in most of these cases the police stations concerned were ignorant about the progress of the cases and could not give any information.
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