Hyderabad: TS DGP Anurag Sharma on Sunday said the fear of law should be created in the people indulging in human trafficking. “Through the combined synergy of NGOs, police and the Women and Child Welfare Department, we will be able to bring down the issue of human trafficking by instilling fear amongst people who are part of such activities,” Sharma said while speaking at an event organised on ‘World Day Against Trafficking of Persons.’
“After 2014, 953 trafficking cases were registered, 1,397 victims were rescued and a total of 1,043 traffickers were arrested", he added.
The DGP said the Telangana police and CID have been conducting a number of raids on brothels and places employing trafficked labour and rescuing large number of minors from such places.
During ‘Operation Muskaan’ and ‘Smile’, Telangana police were able to rescue maximum number of children from exploitative situations, he added.
“Human trafficking has to be considered as a serious crime as it is the second international illegal business run most successfully after drugs,” the Telangana police chief said adding it was important to rehabilitate victims and integrate them into mainstream. Inspector General of Police Soumya Mishra observed that there is a need for capacity building amongst law enforcement agencies like police and prosecutors to deal effectively with the growing menace of human trafficking.
Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh M. Bhagwat said police had undergone training in the issue of human trafficking, which changed the way they see the human trafficking victims.
Last month, M. Bhagwat was conferred with the 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Heroes Award by the US state department for his fight against human trafficking in India.
