Kolkata: Police have launched an investigation following allegations that a 30-year-old woman, who was staying in north Kolkata, was lured with the false promise of employment in Tamil Nadu, abducted, and illegally trafficked across the international border into Bangladesh.The revelation has prompted calls for an urgent probe by specialized agencies to dismantle a suspected transnational human trafficking network operating across state and national borders.According to official documents and police records, the incident came to light after a Kolkata resident submitted a formal petition seeking immediate intervention for his missing elder sister.The woman, claimed her brother, had been residing at a temporary address in the Shyampukur area of Kolkata following a separation from her husband. She was taking care of her child too. Family members stated that she had been struggling with severe financial hardship and was seeking work to support herself and her minor child.While searching for employment, the victim reportedly established contact through social media with an unidentified individual. The suspect allegedly promised her a job at a factory in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Believing the representation to be genuine, she left her Kolkata residence on July 1 to join the offered employment.However, communication with her family soon grew irregular, and she eventually went missing entirely. A missing person entry was subsequently lodged at the Sandeshkhali Police Station in North 24 Parganas and then again at the Shyampukur police Station.The situation took an alarming turn towards the end of July when the victim’s brother received a phone call from a Bangladeshi mobile number. “To my utter shock and dismay, on July 18, around 12.52 am, I received a telephone call on my mobile number from a Bangladeshi mobile number. During the conversation with a Bangladeshi hospital staffer, I was informed that my sister was admitted to a hospital situated at Gopalganj in Bangladesh. I was informed that she had been allegedly kidnapped by an organized group of traffickers. She was taken across the border into Bangladesh, wrongfully confined, before she somehow managed to escape from the clutches of her abductors and getting admitted at the Gopalganj Hospital,” the complainant said. She is still under medical observation.Following a preliminary inquiry, police confirmed that unknown persons used deceitful means to induce the victim under the pretense of providing a job in Tamil Nadu, before unlawfully trafficking her into Bangladesh..Meanwhile, a formal representation has been submitted to senior authorities requesting that the investigation be handed over to the CID of West Bengal and its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), citing the international ramifications of the crime.The petition further seeks immediate coordination among state police, the Border Security Force (BSF), the ministry of external affairs, and Bangladeshi authorities to verify the victim’s medical condition, ensure her safety, and facilitate her repatriation to India.Investigating officials are currently working to preserve electronic evidence, including social media account activity, phone call detail records, and travel history, in an effort to trace the unknown handlers and crack down on the trafficking syndicate.
