NEW DELHI: What started off as a patrol cop quizzing a nine-year-old child roaming aimlessly in Sector 8 market in Dwarka led to unearthing of a well-oiled human trafficking racket. A syndicate was found bringing children from remote villages in Jharkhand to Delhi on the pretext of studies and a better life, but was instead training them to steal mobile phones.
The stolen phones, sources said, were shipped to Malda in West Bengal and many of them were smuggled to Bangladesh after tampering with the IMEI numbers. On average, this module earned Rs 5-6 lakh per month. The gang had even recruited “handlers” at a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 for taking care of the minors.
DCP (Dwarka) Santosh Meena said, “Till now, seven traffickers have been arrested from Delhi and Jharkhand and four children have been rescued in a fortnight-long operation led by SHO Rakesh Dadwal. Two dozen stolen high-end phones have been seized.”
When the child was counselled to get details about his parents, he revealed the shocking story of the gang using him and other children to steal phones. He was then sent for counseling under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. He said a man named Vishal, who belonged to his native village Maharajpur in Sahibganj district of Jharkhand, brought him to Delhi on the pretext of providing him a job, but forced him into stealing phones.
Based on the details given by the child, several places in Khayala and Nangloi were identified. Technical surveillance was mounted on around 10 numbers. As a result, another child aged about eight years was rescued and two men, identified as Sheikh Dildar and Bihari Chaudhary, were arrested. Further raids led to the arrest of two other traffickers, Amar Singh alias Tau and Kanhaiya Kumar. Two autorickshaws used to transport the children were seized from them.
Probe revealed the racket was being run by Vishal Mehto, assisted by his aide Sunil and his relatives and family members in Jharkhand. Mehto fled Delhi after the raids. However, police arrested him from his native village and brought him back to Delhi. Subsequently, two more children were rescued from Bhajanpura. Two of his relatives, Mahender and Chandu, were also arrested. Police are now looking for a man named Sarekul from Malda who bought the phones from this gang.
Mehto said the gang used children from poor backgrounds in the 7-12 age group as people wouldn’t suspect them. Even if caught, they were let off with counselling and a stint at a shelter home. The gang bore the legal expenses. The children would be sent to shopping centres and crowded weekly markets. After committing the thefts, the children would be brought back, given good food and chocolates by their handlers. Their families were sent Rs 25,000-30,000 every few months.
Most of the arrested are in the age group of 25-35, except for Amar Singh, the gang’s auto driver who is 68. Police commissioner SN Shrivastava appreciated the team for its efforts.