KOLKATA: Cops on Friday rescued a 16-year-old girl from the Sonagachhi red-light area, within an hour of receiving an emergency alert about her alleged trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.Police have arrested two men, including the girl’s reported boyfriend, in connection with the case.The operation began around 3.50pm after Kolkata Police received a call and an email alert from the child helpline. The alert said a minor had been brought from North 24 Parganas and allegedly sold in Sonagachhi.Officers from Burtolla Police Station carried out manual surveillance and checked several premises in the narrow lanes of Sonagachhi. The girl was found and rescued from a room at 19 Durga Charan Mitra Street.Police officers spoke to the victim and recorded her statement. According to police, her reported boyfriend, 20-year-old Babul alias Safikul Molla of Garulia in North 24 Parganas, had lured her from her home and handed her over to 39-year-old Shahrukh alias Saharul Laskar in Sonagachhi.Police later arrested both men from the area. Investigators said the accused admitted their role in the crime.A case has been registered at Burtolla Police Station under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Pocso Act, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.The accused were produced before the ACMM court in Kolkata, and police sought their custody for further investigation.
