Shillong: A major inter-state human trafficking racket has been uncovered with the arrest of three persons, including a woman, for allegedly selling a young woman from Meghalaya to a man in Rajasthan for Rs. 3 lakh under the guise of marriage, police said on Tuesday.
The case has exposed a wider trafficking nexus believed to have targeted several women from the Northeast, particularly from Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura.
Police suspect the network may have trafficked at least six other girls — five from Assam’s Boko region and one from Tripura — over the past two years.
The case came to light after a missing complaint was filed on June 11 at the Nongpoh Women Police Station in Ri Bhoi district, reporting that a girl from Byrnihat had disappeared.
Following an intensive probe, investigators discovered that she had been taken to Rajasthan, where she was later rescued with help from local authorities after escaping from her captors.
Ri Bhoi Superintendent of Police Vivekanand Singh said the survivor had befriended a man from Assam on Facebook, who gained her trust by promising marriage and persuaded her to travel to Delhi and Rajasthan.
Once there, she was allegedly sold to another man for Rs. 3 lakh and forced into marriage.
A coordinated effort between police teams from Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Rajasthan led to the arrest of three suspects.
The prime accused, Rajesh Hinge (31) of Kumarghat in North Tripura, was arrested from Guwahati on October 19.
Based on his confession, another accused, Md Khalil Ali (31) of Boko in Assam’s Kamrup (Rural) district, was apprehended from Jhalukbari two days later.
The alleged mastermind, identified as Monika from Rajasthan, was arrested from Kamakhya Railway Station on October 26.
Police said the trio is being interrogated and more arrests are expected as the investigation unfolds.
Early findings indicate that traffickers are increasingly using social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to target young women, particularly from rural and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
They build emotional connections online before luring victims with false promises of love, jobs, or better lives, only to traffic them later.
Authorities have urged young people to be cautious while interacting with strangers online and to report any suspicious behaviour to the police or their families.
“Children and youth must remain alert and avoid engaging with unknown individuals who make promises of marriage, work, or travel,” SP Singh warned.
Police further cautioned that similar online tactics are being used for cybercrimes such as extortion, UPI fraud, and blackmail.
Efforts are underway to identify more victims and dismantle the trafficking network in collaboration with law enforcement agencies in Assam, Tripura, and Rajasthan.
