CBI rescues missing Bengal minor girl from Rajasthan; 5 arrested (Ld)

Kolkata, Aug 9 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday said that their sleuths have rescued a missing minor girl from West Bengal in Rajasthan.

The minor girl, who was missing from Bardhaman in East Burdwan since August 2023, was ultimately recovered from Pali in Rajasthan, a statement issued by the CBI on Saturday read.

“The instant case was registered by CBI on 16.02.2024 in compliance to the order dated 08.02.2024 passed by the Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta in W.P. No. 793 of 2024. The missing minor girl had disappeared on 09.08.2023 when she had gone for tuition and did not return. It was apprehended that she had been kidnapped for an ill motive,” the CBI statement read.

According to CBI, initially, the case was investigated by the local police and then by CID West Bengal. Thereafter, on the petition of the mother of the missing minor girl, the Calcutta High Court transferred the case to the Special Crime Branch of CBI, in Kolkata.

“Based on information received from sources and CDR analysis, leads were obtained that the missing girl might have been sent to District Pali, Rajasthan. Accordingly, the CBI team visited Pali, Rajasthan, and after verifying the information the missing girl was recovered from the residence of accused at Pali, Rajasthan on 08.08.2025,” the CBI statement read.

“The investigation has revealed that the missing girl was a minor when she went missing and was shown as a major in the affidavits created for her marriage. She was sold twice for marriage. It is suspected that this incident could be part of a big human trafficking network,” the central agency statement read.

According to it, after recovery of the minor girl, CBI arrested five accused persons on 08.08.2025 and produced them at a lower court in Pali, Rajasthan, which granted transit remand for 03 days in respect of all accused persons for their production before a district court at East Burdwan district in West Bengal.

Those arrested include Bharat Kumar, Jagdish Kumar, Mena Dapuben, Rata Ram, and Dilip Kumar, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said.

The girl had gone missing after she left home for tuition on August 9, 2023, the CBI said.

The investigation revealed that the missing girl was a minor girl when she went missing and was shown as a major in affidavits created for her marriage.

The probe agency registered the case on February 16, 2024, at the direction of the High Court of Calcutta.

On the basis of information received from sources and call detail record analysis, the CBI developed leads that suggested that the missing girl might have been sent to District Pali, Rajasthan, said the statement.

Later, a CBI team visited Pali and, after verifying the information, the missing girl was rescued from the residence of the accused on August 8, it said.

According to a government reply in Parliament, the National Crime Records Bureau reported that the number of crimes against women in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 were 3,78,236, 4,05,326, 3,71,503, 4,28,278 and 4,45,256, respectively

--IANS

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