'Minors lured from Delhi, forced into domestic work': Police bust Srinagar-based major human trafficking racket

August 28, 2025 by News Desk

Delhi Police, in a joint operation with Jammu Kashmir Police, have dismantled a trafficking syndicate that forced minors into bonded domestic labour in Srinagar, Hindustan Times reported.

Four men have been arrested and multiple victims rescued, officials said on Wednesday.

The case came to light after two teenage girls, aged 15 and 13, went missing from Bhalswa Dairy in Delhi in 2024.

Tracked through mobile records and social media, the girls were traced to Srinagar and rescued in June after one of them managed to contact an acquaintance who alerted police.

According to investigators, the girls revealed that traffickers approached them at Old Delhi Railway Station, offering jobs and money. From there, they were transported via Jammu to Srinagar, where they were placed as domestic helps and forced to work without pay.

The arrested accused have been identified as Salim-ul-Rehman alias Wasim (38) of Ganderbal; Suraj (31) of Begampur, Delhi; Mohammed Talib of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh; and Satnam Singh alias Sardar Ji of Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh.

Police said Salim operated a placement agency, V.A. Manpower Pvt. Ltd., in Bemina, through which nearly 500 people were trafficked in two years. Victims were allegedly “sold” for ₹20,000–25,000 if male and ₹40,000–60,000 if female.

Suraj admitted he ferried trafficked persons from Delhi railway stations to Srinagar on the instructions of agents.

During raids on August 14 and 19, police not only arrested the accused but also rescued a 16-year-old girl. A forged Uttar Pradesh Police identity card was recovered from Talib, allegedly used to evade security checks while transporting minors.

Investigators revealed that the network targeted vulnerable children and labourers at major railway hubs. Victims were moved across states using fake documents and forged IDs, while payments were routed through UPI and hawala channels to conceal the financial trail.

The probe has further linked the syndicate to Shahbaz Khan, Naresh, Rohit Pandey, and Sohail Ahmad of Sunaaz Placement Agency in Srinagar, suggesting a larger trafficking network.

More arrests are expected as police expand the investigation into financial flows, transport vehicles, and identity documents used to facilitate the racket.