After the disappearance of a young girl from Byrnihat in Ri-Bhoi District, and following a complaint lodged by her family and a case registered at the Nongpoh Women Police Station, the Ri-Bhoi Police, led by Inspector Michael R. Marak, discovered that the girl had been taken to Rajasthan. She had escaped from a place where she was being held, and with the assistance of the Rajasthan Police, she was safely rescued and brought back to Meghalaya.
During the police investigation, it was learned that a man from Assam, who had befriended the girl through Facebook, had convinced and lured her to travel to Delhi and Rajasthan under the pretext of marriage. However, the girl was instead sold in Rajasthan into forced marriage for an amount of ₹3 lakh.
Through continuous efforts, the police were able to trace and arrest the man involved—identified as Rajesh Hinge (31) from North Tripura—on October 19 from Guwahati. Further investigation led to the arrest of another suspect, Md. Khalil Ali (31) from Kamrup, Assam, on October 21. The police investigation also uncovered the involvement of a woman, Monika from Rajasthan, identified as the key trafficker and leader of the network. She was arrested by the police on October 26 at the Kamakhya Railway Station.
All three arrested individuals are currently under interrogation. Police have also learned that this trafficking group had sold not less than five girls from Boko, Assam, and one girl from Tripura over the past two years.
Therefore, the Ri-Bhoi Police have issued a strong public advisory urging citizens—especially parents—to remain vigilant and watchful over their children. The traffickers’ main tactic is to first befriend young girls through social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, then lure them into traveling to various places such as Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and other states, only to traffic and sell them once they arrive.