Kolkata, 27 August(H.S.): Kolkata Police rescued a minor girl from a city hotel on Wednesday night and arrested four persons allegedly involved in her abduction and an attempted human trafficking operation.

The four arrested accused have been identified as Asish Bhardwaj, Swaroop Das, Sheikh Shahabuddin and Muzaffar Hossain. Police suspect that the accused may be part of a larger trafficking racket and are interrogating them to identify other persons allegedly involved in the network.

According to police sources, the minor girl had recently started working as a singer at a bar in the city. The four accused allegedly approached her and lured her with the promise of a better-paying singing assignment at another hotel in Garfa, in south Kolkata.

She was allegedly asked to visit the hotel to finalise the job. After reaching the premises, however, one of the accused allegedly took her to a room and locked her inside from outside.

The girl reportedly remained confined in the room for a couple of days. With the help of a hotel employee, she managed to inform one of her relatives about her situation. The relative immediately contacted the local police, following which a police team conducted a raid at the hotel and rescued the girl.

Police said the four accused were arrested during the operation.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to their involvement in the abduction and admitted that they intended to force the minor into the flesh trade, police said.

A senior police officer said the timely information helped the police rescue the girl before she could allegedly be trafficked outside the state.

The police are also expected to question the authorities of the bar where the minor had previously worked as a singer. Investigators will examine why a minor was allegedly employed as a performer at the establishment and whether there were any lapses or other irregularities.

The investigation is underway, and police are probing the possibility of a wider trafficking network.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey