Three members of inter-State human trafficking racket arrested, two women rescued

Two tribal women from Bejjur mandal in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, who were allegedly kidnapped and trafficked to Madhya Pradesh by three members of an inter-State human trafficking racket around six months ago, were rescued by the local police from Madhya Pradesh.

The accused, including a couple identified as Prashanth alias Bablu and his wife Savitha, residents of Kistampet in Chennur mandal of Mancherial district, and Mahesh of Sironcha in Maharashtra, were arrested in connection with the human trafficking case. Another accused Rahul of Madhya Pradesh is at large.

According to police, the couple allegedly lured the two tribal women on the pretext of a better life and forcibly took them to Madhya Pradesh. The couple in connivance with Mahesh allegedly threatened the duo and performed their marriages with two men against their wishes by receiving ₹2.50 lakh each from the latter.

Missing cases were lodged by the family members of the two women at Bejjur police station in September 2025. 

Based on technical evidence, the police have rescued the two women from Madhya Pradesh and handed over them to their families in the district on Friday.

This is the second such incident to surface in the tribal dominated district in less than a year. In June last year, six members of an inter-State human trafficking racket, including a suspended police constable, were arrested by the Asifabad police.