Cuttack, June 2: The state Crime Branch (CB) has recently directed the superintendents of police (SPs) of all the districts to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to combat cases of human trafficking.
According to the guidelines, when a complaint regarding human trafficking or any such related issue is filed by victim in a place where the offence has not happened, a zero FIR should be registered with the police.
If the investigation reveals that allegations are bona fide, the case should be transferred to the respective police station. As trafficking is a continuing offence, FIR may be filed at any location, where the victim is taken, during the transit or at the destination, the SOP cites.
The move came in the wake of rampant human trafficking allegations reported from Sundargarh, Nayagarh and Bhubaneswar areas. Human trafficking is considered as the biggest organised crime in the world, it is learnt. Combating and preventing human trafficking require a collective effort from all the stakeholders including police, CB, legal cells and social organisations.
Human trafficking is carried out under various guises which begins at the source area, goes through a transit phase when the victim is being shifted and the destination area, where the victim is exploited for economic gain.
Woman and children are the easiest targets for traffickers, who engage them in illicit acts. The victims of trafficking are subject to extreme physical and mental torture which causes severe mental trauma.
“In order to combat the menace, the CB has been organising awareness programmes at regular intervals to sensitise the people about the issue. Police intelligence is also working round-the-clock to trace such illegal trade,” said a senior officer of the CB. He added that awareness campaigns and workshops will be organised in the most affected areas, to curb the menace.
- When a complaint regarding human trafficking or any such related issue is filed by victim in a place where the offence has not happened, a ‘zero FIR’ should be registered with the police
- If the investigation reveals that allegations are bona fide, the case should be transferred to the respective police station
- The move came in the wake of rampant human trafficking allegations reported from Sundargarh, Nayagarh and Bhubaneswar areas