Title - Bangalore railway station nodal point for women traffickers

BANGALORE: The apprehension of women activists that the Bangalore City railway station is a major nodal point in human trafficking has been confirmed yet again. The 22-year-old woman from Chikkaballapur, who was kidnapped and raped before she was rescued by Delhi Police recently, was whisked away to the national capital by her abductors from the City railway station.NGOs working for women's welfare have been demanding a police help desk at this station, as well as other stations in the city."We're aware of racketeers zeroing in on solitary women passengers who arrive in the city. They lack security when they land here. In one instance, a woman who came to the city was rescued from a brothel in Byappanahalli and was restored to her parents. The recent Chikkaballapur woman's abduction is really shocking," chief counsellor of women's helpline with city police Rani Shetty told TOI."There are perhaps many more such instances. They come to light only when the woman escapes from the racket and is rescued," she said.Joint commissioner of police (crime-west) Pranav Mohanty said it wasn't possible for the railway police to act alone. "We'd like to help women and any tip-off will help us a lot to curb trafficking in women. We appeal to the public to alert us so that we can act immediately and rescue women," Mohanty, who in the past was involved in rescuing several children from begging rackets in the city, said.

The City railway station records arrival and departure of 150 trains and at least 1 lakh footfalls every day, making the task of cracking down on nefarious individuals a tough task.

A source in the police department admitted that there is trafficking in women and the City railway station is a nodal point. "The administration has turned a blind eye to the racket," the source said.