Karnataka Orphanage Involved in Human Trafficking; 20 Girls Rescued: NCPCR Chief Priyank Kanoongo

In a detailed post on X, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo said that they found an orphanage running illegally in Bengaluru where the girls were found to be trafficked to Gulf countires by a woman named Salma along with her accomplices.

Bengaluru: Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo has said that an orphanage running illegally in Karnataka capital Bengaluru is involved in trafficking of girls to Gulf countries.

In an elaborate post shared on X on Friday March 15, Kanoongo said that “shocking facts have come to light during the inspection of an illegal orphanage in Bangalore, Karnataka”.

“There were 20 girls here, among whom were orphans. Girls are not sent to school, there is no window or skylight in the entire children's home, the girls have been kept completely imprisoned. Some girls used to go to school before coming here, but their studies have been discontinued,” Kanoongo said.

“The girls told in the conversation that the woman named Salma, who takes care of the children's home, arranges the relationships of the girls in Kuwait. From preliminary discussions, it appears that in Gulf countries, the work of grooming girls for trafficking in the name of marriage is done here. Such cases have already been reported in South India,” he added.

The NCPCR Chief further said, “During the investigation, when it came to presenting the girls before the CWC, Salma and her boss Shameer called the goons who tried to create a fight. When the goons were controlled with the intervention of the police, one of the goons called someone on the phone and asked to make an announcement from the mosque to call the crowd”.

Kanoongo said that on the advice of the police and keeping in mind the safety of the women officers, he and the NCPCR team came to the police station.

“We are sitting in Sampigahalli police station, Bangalore North-East, goons are waiting for us outside the police station, the police has refused to write an FIR. The Karnataka government is bowing down before the criminals due to appeasement,” he said.

Sources said that the 20 girls from the orphanage have been rescued by the NCPCR and a case has been registered at the city's Sampigehalli police station based on the NCPCR complaint. Further investigation into the case is going on.