KOLKATA: Islampur Police District in West Bengal has rescued 48 girls and women, including a large number of minor girls, from the Champabag red-light area in North Dinajpur, exposing what investigators describe as a deeply entrenched cross-border trafficking network that preyed on vulnerable children.
The multi-day operation, carried out jointly by the police and child rights organisations, led to the rescue of girls allegedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation, with several victims claiming they were made to serve multiple clients every day under coercion.
🚨 BIG! West Bengal Police RESCUED 44 girls allegedly trafficked to the red-light area of Islampur.
BJP leader Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, who was present during the operation, warned that "BULLDOZERS will run here too," signalling STRICT ACTION against those involved.…
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) July 10, 2026
The crackdown has also intensified the political debate, with BJP leader and former MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, who visited the spot, demanding strict action against those responsible and calling for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into the alleged trafficking network.
According to police sources, the rescue operation followed nearly two months of covert surveillance conducted by the Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) and Kosi Lok Manch (KLM), partner organisations of Just Rights for Children (JRC), one of India’s largest child rights networks.
The first raid was conducted on July 3, when police stormed an establishment in Champabag and rescued 17 minor girls.
Among them:
- 13 girls were from Bihar
- Three were from West Bengal
- One was from Assam
Officials said the youngest rescued victim was just 11 years old. To prevent traffickers from escaping, police reportedly deployed drones to monitor possible exit routes during the operation. Four alleged traffickers were arrested on the spot, while several others managed to flee.
Based on information gathered during interrogation, police launched another raid on July 5, rescuing 22 more minor girls and two adult women from the same locality.
In the latest operation, conducted during a late-night raid, seven more women, including four minor girls, were rescued, taking the total number of rescued victims to 48 within a week, according to police.
The rescued girls, who have been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and shifted to shelter homes, narrated disturbing accounts of abuse and exploitation. According to child rights activist Rishi Kant, the victims alleged they were forced to entertain eight to ten clients every day while receiving no financial support from those operating the racket.
“The rescue of such a large number of minor girls from a single site of commercial sexual exploitation reflects the deep-rooted and widespread nature of human trafficking networks,” Kant said.
“The trafficking of girls as young as 11 and 12 from Bihar and Assam and their forced sexual exploitation is a horrifying reality.” Investigators believe the trafficking syndicate systematically targeted transport hubs across Bihar, including:
- Darbhanga
- Begusarai
- Ara
- Patna
- Muzaffarpur
- Sitamarhi
- Kishanganj
Police said traffickers often avoided physical force, instead using psychological manipulation to lure distressed, hungry or unaccompanied children from busy railway stations and bus terminals before transporting them to West Bengal. The four arrested accused have been booked under provisions relating to:
- Human trafficking
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act
- Other relevant criminal laws
Police said multi-state teams have been formed to trace and arrest other members of the network who remain absconding. Superintendent of Police Rakesh Singh said the crackdown against human trafficking would continue. “Our drive against human trafficking will continue,” he said.
The operation has also sparked political reactions. Former BJP MLA Sreerupa Mitra Chowdhury, popularly known as “Nirbhaya Didi,” visited the Champabag area after the rescue operation and demanded a National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation into the alleged trafficking syndicate.
She also called for an Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into the alleged financial network supporting the brothel operations. Chowdhury alleged that certain local political leaders and businessmen had links to the trafficking network, while claiming that many of the rescued girls had been brought from Bihar.
Issuing a stern warning, she said, “Our government will not allow this. Bulldozers will run here too.” Her remarks signalled a demand for stringent action against those allegedly involved in the trafficking racket.
