‘Sex racket’ busted in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur, 17 girls rescued

Police have busted an alleged sex racket and rescued 17 girls during a raid in West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district, officials said on Saturday (July 4, 2026).

Four persons have been arrested in connection with the case, they said.

Out of those rescued, 13 are from Bihar, three from West Bengal and one from Assam, a senior police officer said.

The girls are aged between 11 and 17 years, he said.

"The operation in Islampur police station area was conducted on the basis of credible intelligence inputs. Drones were also used during the raid. Our teams acted swiftly and in a coordinated manner to ensure the safe rescue of all the minors," he told PTI.

The rescued girls were produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and later shifted to government-run shelter homes after counselling, the officer said.

"Those found involved in trafficking and exploitation of minors will not be spared. Efforts are also underway to identify and track the accused who had managed to escape during the operation," the officer said.