Kolkata:  The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of South Bengal BSF Frontier, which was deployed on January 15 last year at vulnerable points to rescue victims of human trafficking and nab touts, have been free 33 women from the clutches of their traffickers in one year.

“The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) completed a year on January 15, 2022. Deployed on the international border, AHTUs have rescued 33 victims – 28 women and 5 minor girls – in 29 cases from being caught in the illegal business of human trafficking during the last 12 months in the year 2021 and 33 traffickers have also been arrested along with them,” said the Border Security Force (BSF) in a statement.

The BSF said that after the deployment of AHTUs in sensitive areas on the border, the cases of human trafficking have reduced. “In most of the cases it has been observed that human traffickers lure poor innocent girls for making money by promising good jobs like beauty parlor, bar dancer, helper in gym, massage parlor, waiter work, house maid, etc., and push them into the inhuman business of prostitution and touts take advantage of them,” said the BSF.

Surjit Singh Guleria, senior spokesperson and DIG of South Bengal Frontier, said: “It is often seen that brokers involved in human trafficking bring poor and gullible girls of Bangladesh across the border with the lure of good jobs and money and push them into abominable work like prostitution. These days BSF is taking very strict steps to stop human trafficking on the border.”

“All AHTUs under the leadership of Inspector General of South Bengal Frontier have been deployed on the border. The main objective of these units is to nab the syndicates involved in human trafficking and hand them over to the law and put them behind bars,” added Guleria. /BI/