With an aim to tighten its grip on immoral human trafficking, the State Government has decided to increase the number of Anti-Human Trafficking Cells from 12 to 34. Of these 24 cells, eight will be established in Vidarbha.
It is worth mentioning here that Maharashtra holds the highest number, 292 cases of human trafficking across the country. The state is also ahead in rescuing trafficked victims as whopping 1,020 such victims were rescued by State enforcement agencies.
As per data received, out of the 1,020 rescued victims, 920 were trafficked for sexual exploitation while 15 were for forced labour, 13 for forced marriage, and seven for other crimes.
At present, 12 Anti-Human Trafficking Cells are active in Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Sangli, Navi Mumbai, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Beed, and Yavatmal to prohibit brutal crimes against women and children.
Now, according to the notification issued by the State Home Department, new cells will be established at Chandrapur, Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Washim, Wardha, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Aurangabad, Nasik, Pune, Jalgaon, Nanded, Jalna, Usmanabad, Latur, Parbhani, Hingoli, Satara, Wardha, Dhule, Nandurbar, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Palghar.
These new cells will get manpower of a total of 275 police personnel including nine Assistant Police Inspector (APIs), 21 Sub- Divisional Police Officers (SDPO), 11 Police Inspectors (PIs), 36 PSIs, 36 Woman PSIs, 81 constables, and 81 women constables.
According to National Crime Record Bureau, the victims are lured or abducted and subsequently forced to work against their wish through various means in various establishments, indulge in prostitution, or subjected to various types of indignities, and even killed or incapacitated for begging and trade in human organs.
