LUCKNOW: A team from women’s police station in Barabanki arrested eight people from Gujarat on Saturday on charges of human trafficking.
The arrested persons were identified as Sahil Pancha and his relatives Pappu Bhai Sharma, Apoorva Pancha, Geeta Ben, Neeta Ben, Shilpa Ben, Rakesh and Sahil’s father Ajay Bhai, all from Gujarat.
“Sahil is acquainted with Ramu Gautam of Barabanki who used to work in Gujarat.
Sahil was unmarried and asked Ramu to look for a girl for his marriage and offered him money.
Ramu, who had returned to his native place during lockdown, talked to Chand Ram Verma about Sahil’s marriage proposal.
Chand Ram’s son Prince had a love marriage with an Assamese woman.
As Chand Ram was unhappy with his son’s marriage, he conspired to sell Prince’s wife to Sahil for Rs 80,000.
He took Rs 40,000 in advance and transferred Rs 20,000 into Prince’s bank account on June 4,” superintendent of police, Barabanki, Yamuna Prasad said.
“When Prince, who was in Ghaziabad, inquired about the money, his father refused to explain but asked him to send his wife to Barabanki as he was unwell.
On June 4, Prince sent his wife to Barabanki to take care of his father,” the SP said.
Sahil, his father and relatives reached Barabanki on June 5 and Ramu Gautam arranged a hotel room for them.
The same evening, Chand Ram told his daughter-in-law that his health had improved and asked her to go with Ramu Gautam who would drop her to Ghaziabad.
“In the meantime, Prince’s brother-in-law tipped him off about the illegal act.
Prince reached Barabanki but did not find his wife and his father at home,” the SP said.
He came to know that his father, wife and a few other persons had gone to Barabanki railway station.
Prince reached the railway station and informed the police which reached the spot and arrested Sahil, his father and other relatives and rescued Prince’s wife.
Prince’s father and his aides managed to flee the scene.
Police said Prince fell in love with the girl in 2019 when he was working as a taxi driver in Ghaziabad and later married her in a temple in Barabanki.