SRINAGAR: Three young residents from Alipurduar district in north Bengal, including two women, were rescued from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, after alleging that they had been confined by a local family and forced into domestic servitude. The rescue was coordinated by Alipurduar police in collaboration with their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir, The Telegraph reported.
The ‘victims’, Kapil Tamang of Lankapara Tea Estate under Birpara police station, his wife Anjali, and her sister Sandhya from Sikkim, all in their early twenties, returned home on Friday after enduring nearly two months of ‘captivity’.
Police sources told The Telegraph that the trio had been lured to Kashmir by a job offer. A man, promising them respectable employment in Srinagar, persuaded them to relocate. Believing him, they travelled to the Valley. But soon after arrival, the promises unravelled.
“They were taken to a house and told they had to work as domestic servants. When they resisted, they were told that the tout had paid Rs 1.2 lakh to place them there,” a police officer was quoted as saying.
Their mobile phones were reportedly seized, and they were kept under watch, forced to perform household chores and denied adequate food. After weeks in captivity, Kapil managed to secretly contact a local resident, who allowed him to use his phone. Kapil called Bishal Gurung, the Trinamool Youth Congress president in Birpara, and recounted their ordeal.
Gurung contacted the Birpara police station and district police officials. An investigation led to the identification of the house under the jurisdiction of the Rajbagh police station in Srinagar. Based on the information shared, Rajbagh police acted swiftly and rescued the trio.
Police also arranged for their travel back to West Bengal. “We never thought we’d return alive. People should be very careful before accepting job offers from strangers,” Kapil told The Telegraph after reaching home.
Bishal Gurung praised the coordinated effort. “Thanks to the prompt response of the police, they’re safely back with their families,” he said.
Alipurduar district police chief Y Raghuvamshi told The Telegraph, “Whenever we receive information that anyone from our district is in distress, especially outside the state, we do everything we can to bring them home. We’re relieved this case ended well.”
Police are continuing their search for the tout who misled and trafficked the three to Kashmir.
