Mohammed Nizam, a resident of Saran district in Bihar, has been arrested for luring minor girls and forcing them to perform as dancers, reports Dainik Jagran. His racket was busted due to the intervention of NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of Child Right) chief Priyank Kanoongo, reaffirming the sterling role performed by the commission in recent times.
The accused was living for many years under a false identity of Pankaj Tiwari in Dubaulia village, Jalalpur Bazar block. He had married a dancer, Maya, from his own troupe and she claims to be in the dark too about his real identity. He would lure girls from a particular community with promises of good income and a glamorous life. He originally belongs to Singar Moti village, Nirmali district of Supaul district in Bihar.
A father in West Bengal had lodged a complaint regarding his abducted daughter on 11 December, and had provided Nizam’s mobile number. When the matter reached NCPCR in Delhi through an NGO, they requested Delhi Police’s help in tracing the number. It was then that Nizam’s location was traced to Saran district and a raid was carried out with help of local police to recover the girl.
9 other girls were also rescued in that raid – they were from different states like West Bengal, Assam and Punjab. The girls have been moved to a local children’s home and their parents/guardians have been informed.
The complaint lodged in Jalalpur police station names Md. Nizam (aka Pankaj Tiwari), Ranjit Kumar and Maya Kumari as accused, and all three have been sent to jail. SP Santosh Kumar said that they will be held on remand and interrogated so that other aspects of this racket can be uncovered.
While the role of the NCPCR in such cases is applause worthy, questions must be asked about why police often fails to take prompt action when complaints are first lodged. While stories of police apathy, and even abusive dismissal of poor victim families, are reported from all over the country, the record of West Bengal police is especially galling. In this case too, the phone tracing could easily have been done by WB Police, but it required NCPCR intervention for the criminal to be finally traced to Bihar.
Speedy action in such cases is paramount to save the girl child from the brutalization which they are subjected to in first few days to break their will. Our justice system too has failed to create deterrence by handing severe punishment to traffickers like Md. Nizam. Often, they manipulate the system to get out on bail or parole, even as the case gets stuck in our labyrinthine legal system.
Massive police & judicial reforms combined with exceptionally harsh punishment are a must to combat such crimes. A mass social campaign to make girls and their families aware about such human traffickers and fraudsters is also the need of the hour.