Cop Launch ‘Operation Shakti' To Bust Human Trafficking Rackets
human trafficking
. With the city ranked third in Maharashtra — just behind Mumbai and Pune — in trafficking of women and minors, cops are now tightening the noose with increased surveillance, raids and awareness campaigns.
Under Operation Shakti, police will begin crackdowns at hotels, spas, and massage centres suspected of being used as fronts for trafficking. Specially designed plaques displaying emergency helpline numbers (1098, 112, and 1930) along with key messages from the police will be prominently displayed at these locations. These efforts are backed by a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) aimed at identifying and disrupting trafficking networks.
CP Ravinder Singal said, "Trafficking for prostitution, child labour, organ trade, and early marriages must be stopped. In the last two years, we've intensified our work, and Operation Shakti is the result of multiple reviews and encouraging outcomes," said Singal.
He highlighted recent operations, including the rescue of five minor girls from the Ganga Jamuna red-light area. "Children, knowingly or unknowingly, become victims, especially through mobile phones and social media.
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Often, they don't report these situations. That's why we've started programmes like 'Police Didi' and 'Police Kaka' to build trust and conduct awareness sessions in schools and colleges," he added.
Singal also praised the role of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), calling their cooperation essential to intercepting trafficking via trains. "Our goal is zero tolerance, and that requires multi-agency collaboration.
Operations like 'Thunder' and 'U-Turn' have already shown major success, including reducing road accident deaths by 70 in the last seven months," he said.
Vinita Singal, principal secretary of Food and Civil Supplies and former labour secretary, stressed a holistic four-pronged approach to trafficking: Prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.
She proposed linking victims' identities via Aadhaar and the Saral database for tracking.
She called for better rehabilitation, faster adoption processes, and utilizing vacant seats in ZP, NMC, and Ashram schools to house rescued children. "Breaking the trafficking cycle is possible, we just need to collaborate," she said.
Additional CP (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi called the issue deeply socio-economic, pointing out that families themselves are sometimes involved, knowingly or unknowingly. "Victims often follow a one-way track that's hard to escape.
Breaking that chain, whether of human trafficking or bonded labour, is critical," Pardeshi said.
Additional CP Shivaji Rathod stressed the importance of community awareness. He recalled a case where a girl was lured to Nagpur by relatives under the pretext of education but was later sexually exploited and left to die in a water tank. "We need proactive communication with children and parents. During my tenure as SP, we created dedicated WhatsApp groups in schools as part of the 'Police Didi' outreach," he said.
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