Jhapa, — Indian authorities have rescued seven Nepali teenage girls who were allegedly being trafficked under the pretense of foreign employment. The rescue took place near the Panitanki border in West Bengal, with two men arrested in connection to the case.
According to Indian police, the girls were lured with promises of jobs in Hong Kong. They were stopped in Siliguri while the suspects were reportedly in the process of forging fake identification documents, including Aadhaar cards.
The two men in custody have been identified as Dipesh Gurung, 41, from Toribari in Darjeeling, India, and Japan Gurung, 61, from Makalu-3 in Nepal’s Sankhuwasabha district. All seven girls are also from Sankhuwasabha. Police believe they were brought across the eastern Kakarbhitta border into India, before being intercepted by authorities.
The girls are currently being held at the Khoribari Police Station in India while legal procedures are underway. A rescue team from the NGO Maiti Nepal, led by Koshi Province coordinator Govinda Ghimire, reached the border immediately after the rescue. However, Ghimire said the girls could not be handed over as the legal process had not yet been completed.
Nepal’s Area Police Office in Kakarbhitta said it had not received any formal information about the case from Indian officials. The incident underscores the persistent threat of human trafficking along Nepal’s open border with India.
