The Raxaul border has emerged as a major transit point for an international human trafficking syndicate that trafficked young girls for prostitution and illegal organ trade, aiming to generate nearly ₹400 crore annually. The racket was uncovered after leaked WhatsApp chats of traffickers revealed the scale, organisation, and brutality of the operation, prompting serious concern among security agencies.

According to investigators, the syndicate operated with chilling efficiency. In one leaked message, a trafficker complained, “I need ₹400 crore, and he hasn’t even sent the video yet.” Such chats exposed how girls were treated as commodities and sold with a single message.

Once an agent trapped a girl—often through fake love relationships or job offers—her detailed “biodata” was sent to handlers. This included her name, age, height, weight, physical marks such as scars or warts, and even her menstrual cycle. Handlers reportedly instructed agents to take precise body measurements using inch tapes. Agents were paid between ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh for delivering each girl.

Code Words to Evade Police

To avoid detection, traffickers used coded family terms to identify city-level operators. In Delhi, the handler was referred to as “Mami”; in Mumbai, “Mausi”; in Hyderabad, “Bua”; and in Ludhiana, “Didi.”

How Victims Were Trapped

According to Manish Anand, traffickers primarily targeted vulnerable girls through social media platforms and staged romantic relationships. After gaining trust, they recorded explicit videos to blackmail the victims. Girls were then lured with promises of marriage or lucrative jobs and sold either across the border or to major Indian cities.

Trafficking Beyond Prostitution

Ranjit Singh, director of the NGO Swachh Raxaul, said the victims were exploited not only in the sex trade but also for illegal organ transplants. Singh stated that his organisation has rescued more than 600 girls so far, while Raxaul police have independently rescued over 100 victims.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing, and efforts are being intensified to dismantle the wider network operating across borders.