Over a week after she was allegedly trafficked to Gujarat by her brother-in-law, the Adilabad police are still searching for 27-year-old Pushpa*. The police say that they have been trying to trace her using the signal of a cell phone she used to reach out to her family, and believe that Pushpa may be in Madhya Pradesh right now.
Speaking to TNM, Naresh Kumar, the SI of Neradigonda Police said, "We are on the case, and looking into every angle. We traced her location she seems to be in Madhya Pradesh, we might get a picture on her whereabouts soon."
The police have also questioned Pushpa’s brother-in-law, who has been accused of selling her to a gang in Gujarat for Rs 1.8 lakh. According to the police, he has denied any involvement in the case.
The case
On May 28, Pushpa, who lives in Kistapur village with her 3-year-old daughter went missing. Her parents, who live in Sonal village, had not been in touch with her for many days.
On May 30, Pushpa reportedly called her brother and claimed that she had been sold by her dead husband’s brother for Rs 1.8 lakh, and that she was in an unknown place in Gujarat.
“My sister called me on Tuesday night and told me that she was sold off for Rs 1.8 lakh to someone in Gujarat by her brother in-law. She said that her brother-in-law had sold her with the help of two women from Itchoda village of Boadh mandal,” Pushpa’s brother said, according to Sakshi news.
However, the police have denied the involvement of any other women in the case.
Pushpa’s family has filed a missing person complaint with the Adilabad police, who are investigating the case.
375 women trafficked from Telangana in 2016
Human trafficking is a massive problem in India, with thousands of women and children trafficked from across the country for various reasons, including forced sex work and domestic labour.
According to a reply by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in the Rajya Sabha, in 2016 alone 10,119 women and 9,104 children were trafficked from across India. Telangana alone registered 375 cases of trafficking, with neighbouring Andhra contributing almost 400 cases on the list.
Even these numbers only reflect the registered cases of trafficking in the country.
*Name changed.
If you know someone at risk, would like to learn more about human trafficking, or want to volunteer or donate to the cause, contract PRAJWALA: +91 8414237304.