Human trafficking : 39 Nepalese women rescued from city hotel

CM hits out at L-G, BJP for inaction

New Delhi: At least 39 Nepalese women were rescued from a hotel in Paharganj by a joint team of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and the city police in the early hours on Wednesday, the women's panel said.

However, the police said the women were staying at the hotel out of their own will and the medical examination of some of the women did not indicate any signs of assault, Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said.

According to the DCW, the anti-trafficking operation started at 1 am and continued till 6 am. The women panel's chairperson, Swati Maliwal, took to Twitter to provide details about the operation.

"DCW received tip-off and rescued 39 Nepali girls from Hotel Hriday Inn, Paharganj. Raid lasted the entire night and assistance was provided by Delhi Police.

Entire hotel had only trafficked Nepali girls who were being sent to Gulf countries. Huge trafficking racket busted! " she said.

Randhawa said the police were informed around 12.15 by the DCW women's helpline about some trafficked girls staying at a hotel in Paharganj. A team from the Paharganj Police Station went there but no such thing was found.

Around 1.45 am, DCW chief Swati Maliwal came there and she told them that she had received information about another hotel. "We give full support whenever there are issues related to women safety.

She said there is a hotel where Nepali girls have been kept and our staff accompanied her there," the DCP said. Some woman were found staying there and during investigation, it was found that they had Nepalese citizenship cards.

The hotel register had all the records intact. The women were sent for medical examination and some of them refused to get examined. Sixteen of the women agreed for the medical examination, the police said, adding that their medical examination did not show any signs of assault.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked Lt Governor Anil Baijal and the BJP for not taking any action in the matter.

"Are police helping the accused for free? Till where the money is reaching? Why LG Sahab and BJP are not doing anything (in the matter)?" he tweeted in Hindi.

Randhawa said further investigation is underway and statements from the women are being taken but so far, no trafficking angle has emerged.

Police are also contacting the Nepal embassy. Another police official, privy to the matter, said while some of the women had come in search of jobs, others were staying with relatives.

The women are being sent to the Nirmal Chhaya shelter home. Maliwal accused the police of trying to cover up the matter and alleged that they were not filing an FIR.

She later claimed in another tweet that the women were being again taken to hospital for medical examination. They had undergone a medical examination this morning.

Maliwal urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take a cognisance in the matter.

The DCW claimed that this was the third such operation since July 25. With the help of police, the DCW had rescued 16 women, who were allegedly trafficked from Nepal and were about to be taken to Gulf countries, from southwest Delhi's Munirka area on July 25. On July 30, the Delhi and Varanasi Police had rescued 18 women, including 16 from Nepal, from the clutches of an international prostitution racket in Vasant Vihar.