Patna, Jan 28 In a joint operation, Nalanda Police, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), and Mission Mukti Foundation successfully rescued 20 girls from an orchestra company in the Nalanda’s Pawapuri area on Tuesday.
Four individuals operating the company have been detained in connection with the case. Sunil Kumar Singh, SDPO of Rajgir range said: “The officials of NCPCR and Mission Mukti Foundation provided leads about the orchestra company. They approached the district SP office, and under the SP’s direction, we assisted them during the raid. We rescued 20 girls and detained four operators,” Singh said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that some of the rescued girls are minors.
“We have verified the age of some girls based on the documents they were carrying. However, we lack additional tools to confirm their ages accurately. NCPCR officials have requested to take over the case to determine their ages through further investigation. Based on their findings, we will lodge an FIR,” Singh added.
The orchestra company was operating in a village under the jurisdiction of the Pawapuri outpost area in the district. Among the rescued, one girl was found to be just 13 years old. The girls, hailing from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand, were lured to Nalanda with promises of jobs and opportunities to dance in films. Instead, they were forced to perform in orchestra shows.
According to the police, the company had been operating for the past eight months under a husband-and-wife duo who have now been detained along with two other operators.
Mission Mukti Foundation director Virendra Kumar Singh highlighted the exploitation faced by the girls.
“These girls were being forced to perform in orchestras after being lured with false hopes of a better future. This rescue operation is a critical step towards curbing such exploitation,” he said.
The raid, conducted early on Tuesday, has caused panic among other orchestra operators in the region.
Women police station in-charge Pushpa Kumari, along with a team that included officers from NCPCR, and others were present during the operation.
The rescue highlights ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation and trafficking in the region.
Further investigation is underway to establish the operators' involvement and ensure justice for the victims.
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