Stories of Change— Trafficking

Tricked in the name of love

Puja (name changed), a naïve girl with big dreams from Guwahati, Assam, fell prey to a conniving man from Assam who was working in Mumbai as a pimp. It all started one night during Shivratri when she got into a verbal altercation with her mother. She ran away from home and sought refuge at her cousin’s place. Puja, with a strained relationship with her mother, became very lonely and took to social media to distract herself from her troubles. It was on one of these platforms that she first came across Anwar Hussain, who showered her with attention and understanding, slowly gaining her trust and manipulating her vulnerable state.

In 2020, after a year of online exchanges, Anwar and Puja met for the first time at a college in Guwahati. There, she expressed her desire to go to Mumbai to create a life for herself. Anwar promised to help and arranged for the trip. After reaching Mumbai, he introduced her to Noor Ali Rahman, who further manipulated Puja into moving in with him during the lockdown. From that point on, things only took a turn for the worse. Noor began coercing her to engage in sexual relationships with other men for money and would often subject her to relentless abuse if she dared deny his demands. To keep her from escaping his clutches he kept all the money she made, trapping her in a cycle of fear and dependence.

After several months of not being able to afford rent, Noor, with Anwar's help, sold Puja, unbeknownst, to a brothel located on Grant Road in Mumbai. Her world came crashing down as she tried to grapple with her grim reality. With no money and no one to call her own, she had no choice but to work as a prostitute until she saved up enough to plan her escape. Not long after, acting on a tip, the Mumbai police raided the brothel and rescued Priya along with other girls; she was taken to Navjeevan Mahila Vastigruha, Deonar, Mumbai, in 2021 and from there was transferred to ACRD’s Navajeevan Rehabilitation Home for Women and Girls in Kamrup in April 2022.

Despite Puja’s rescue and relocation, her ordeal was far from over, as Anwar managed to re-establish contact with her. In the days that followed, Anwar continued to communicate with Priya. He delivered the news of Noor’s passing in a car accident, which came as a huge emotional blow to her. Sensing her vulnerability, he started manipulating Priya and her family members to extort money. ACRD team caught wind of the situation and devised a plan to catch Anwar. In January 2023, Anwar was lured to Guwahati by Puja with the help of ACRD’s team and Assam Police and CID, he and his accomplice was nabbed from Basistha area in Guwahati. Puja is no longer living in the agony of her past. She has now taken charge of her life, is now employed in ACRD and was recently awarded a compensation of 3 lakhs rupees from the District Legal Services Authority. This money will help secure her future, and as she looks ahead into her future with hope of limitless possibilities.

Uncovering Child Traffickers in Suwalilukuwa

Nestled within a forest reserve lies Suwalilukuwa village in Chandrapur block, under the jurisdiction of Panikhaiti Gaon Panchayat, Kamrup Metro district. Plagued by underdevelopment and lacking proper educational facilities and basic necessities like electricity, the village faces a troubling trend: children often leave for work, never to return.

Upon receiving a tip about this concerning situation, the ACRD's Access to Justice team sprang into action, promptly visiting the village to investigate. Interviews with villagers revealed a disturbing discovery: 25 children were reportedly missing from the community.

Armed with this information, the team acted swiftly. After gathering necessary documents pertaining to these children, they presented the case to Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Borah at the Police Commissionerate Office, Guwahati. This prompt reporting led the police to launch an immediate inquiry, and the case was forwarded to Pragjyotishpur Police Station for further investigation.

The police subsequently confirmed that the children had been trafficked to Arunachal Pradesh as child laborers. They were then retrieved and reunited with their families. In a related investigation, with the help of ACRD's o team, the police uncovered the culprits behind the trafficking: Putul Marak and Sunita Marak, who are however yet to be arrested.