Three members of inter-State human trafficking racket arrested, two women rescued

Two tribal women from Bejjur Mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, who were allegedly kidnapped and smuggled to Madhya Pradesh by three members of an inter-State human trafficking gang around six months ago, were rescued by the local police in Madhya Pradesh.

The accused, including a couple identified as Prashanth alias Bablu and his wife Savitha, residents of Kistampet in Chennur mandal of Mancherial district and Mahesh from Sironcha in Maharashtra, were arrested in connection with the human trafficking case. Another accused Rahul from Madhya Pradesh is at large.

According to the police, the couple allegedly lured two tribal women and forcibly took them to Madhya Pradesh on the pretext of a better life. The couple, who turned a blind eye to Mahesh, allegedly threatened the duo and got their marriage done against their will by charging ₹ 2.50 lakh each from the two men.

The missing cases were reported to Bejjur police station in September 2025 by the family members of the two women.

Based on technical evidence, police rescued two women from Madhya Pradesh on Friday and handed them over to their families in the region.

This is the second incident in the tribal-dominated region in less than a year. In June last year, six members of an interstate human trafficking gang, including a suspended police officer, were arrested by the Asifabad police.