Patna: A joint operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and Samastipur district police rescued 105 youths, including 38 girls, who were allegedly confined and exploited after being lured with promises of govt jobs. The rescued youths belong to several districts of Bihar as well as Assam and West Bengal.The operation was carried out late on Wednesday night following complaints that a private marketing company operating near the Bhola Talkies railway crossing in Samastipur town had been misleading job seekers. The company allegedly organised recruitment drives offering govt employment and enrolled candidates in what it described as a two-month training programme.Police said that instead of providing govt jobs, the company allegedly forced recruits into marketing work and housed them at different locations under the Mufassil police station area, including Dharampur and Musapur. Several of those rescued alleged they were not allowed to leave freely and were threatened with dismissal if they failed to achieve sales targets.Police said the rescued group includes several minors. The children will be produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), after which their families will be contacted. Adult victims will be sent home after the completion of verification procedures.ASP Sanjay Pandey said the rescue operation was conducted on the basis of specific inputs received by the police. He said a human rights team also participated in the action and added that the youths had allegedly been detained under the pretext of being provided govt jobs. He said an investigation was underway into possible human trafficking and fraud.Following the raid, the operators of the company allegedly locked their office in the town’s marketing complex and fled. Police teams have launched searches to trace and arrest those involved.Police are also questioning the rescued youths to ascertain how they were recruited, the conditions in which they were kept and the nature of the work they were allegedly forced to perform.