Coach, berth no. stamped on hands: How 56 women were saved from trafficking on train in Bengal

A notably large number of young women journeying together, all lacking their tickets or identification — this raised alarms among the railway personnel on the New Jalpaiguri-Patna Capital Express. What it uncovered was a story of deceitful guarantees, exploiting weaknesses, and a trafficking scheme.

A total of 56 women were rescued, and two individuals with them were detained from the train at New Jalpaiguri station in Siliguri, West Bengal, officials informed news agency.

The women, ranging in age from 18 to 31, came from the Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, and Alipurduar districts in West Bengal.

The ticket inspection team and the railway protection force (RPF) became suspicious when they discovered that all the women lacked valid tickets. The numbers for the coach and berth were marked on their hands, discovered during a standard inspection by RPF staff at the source station.

The women informed them that they had been guaranteed jobs at a company in Bengaluru. The RPF discovered a man and a woman with them who could not explain why the women were being taken to Bihar after being promised employment in Bengaluru.

Officials stated that they did not provide any documents validating the job offers or the mentioned reasons for the travel. The pair with them were consequently detained on the scene.

The women have, in the meantime, been sent back to their residences. The railway police and the RPF are collaboratively investigating the matter, particularly the human trafficking aspect. West Bengal also possesses a dedicated unit within its Criminal Investigation Department focused on human trafficking. According to the CID website, this Anti Human Trafficking Cell (AHTU) can be reached at 033-24506114.