56 girls rescued, two arrested

In a major breakthrough against human trafficking, the Government Railway Police (GRP) at New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station, with support from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), rescued 56 young women from the Capital Express on Monday evening. All the women, aged above 18, were reportedly being trafficked under the false promise of jobs in Bangalore.

Acting on suspicion, GRP and RPF officials intercepted the group on-board the Capital Express, which was bound for Patna—a deviation from their stated destination of Bangalore. During preliminary interrogation, the girls claimed they were heading to Bangalore for employment opportunities arranged by two individuals. However, both Jitendra Kumar Paswan and Chandrima Kar, who were accompanying them, failed to produce any valid travel documents or job offer letters.

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“We became suspicious when we learned that a large group of women, allegedly en route to Bangalore for work, was instead travelling on a train to Bihar. This raised serious red flags,” a senior GRP official said.

Based on a complaint filed by the RPF, Paswan and Kar were arrested and booked under Section 143(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). GRP has sought a six-day police remand for further investigation into the trafficking racket.

The police have contacted the families of the rescued women and handed them back to their guardians. Authorities suspect this is part of a wider trafficking network and further arrests may follow.