Edited by Elvish Haokip, Kukiland Express Desk
Songpi/Rudrapur: May 10, 2026
Three young women from Mizoram escaped an alleged prostitution racket in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar district, with the help of a local auto-rickshaw driver, leading to a joint rescue operation by Mizoram and Uttarakhand Police that freed five more girls and saw six accused arrested. The victims, aged 20-22, had been lured from Mizoram through a Facebook post promising a “lucrative job” with Rs 20,000 monthly pay. What awaited them was confinement, threats, and forced exploitation at a spa allegedly run as a front for trafficking.
According to police, the victims were recruited over several months by a Mizo woman who operated the spa with her live-in partner from Uttar Pradesh. The accused arranged their travel from Aizawl to Guwahati by road, then by train to Delhi, and finally to Rudrapur by taxi. On arrival, the girls were informed of “extra work” beyond the promised job. Instead of the assured salary, they were paid Rs 500, threatened, force-fed drugs, and locked in a room. All three belonged to impoverished families and had left home in desperation for work.
The escape unfolded in late April when the three women, unable to endure further abuse, secretly contacted the auto-rickshaw driver who regularly ferried them to clients. Police said he was the only outsider they felt they could trust. Acting swiftly, the driver reached the spa, broke into the room where the women were confined, and drove them directly to Rudrapur railway station. Recognizing their trauma, language barriers, and vulnerability, he guided them on train details and gave them money to return to Mizoram.
One of the escapees reached Aizawl and filed a complaint at the All Women Police Station on May 1, triggering a coordinated response. Aizawl ASP (Crime) Zoramthara told media that an SIT was formed and a team led by a female inspector, Maria, was dispatched to Uttarakhand. The joint team with Uttarakhand’s anti-human trafficking unit raided the spa on Tuesday. Five more Mizo girls were rescued during the operation, bringing the total number of victims to eight.
Uttarakhand’s US Nagar SSP Ajay Ganapati confirmed the joint action and said six persons were arrested. Among them were the Mizo woman who ran the spa with her partner, four others who managed daily operations, and the accused woman’s sister who was also linked to the establishment. Police said the racket used social media to target job-seeking women from the Northeast, exploiting economic hardship and trust in community ties.
Inspector Maria, who led the Mizoram team, said investigations are ongoing and the team will remain in Uttarakhand for further probe. ASP Zoramthara noted that the victims were threatened and drugged to prevent escape, and that the accused used the victims’ desperation to trap them. The case has raised fresh concerns about trafficking networks targeting Northeastern women through fake job offers on social media platforms.
The rescue has drawn widespread attention in Mizoram and across the Northeast, with calls for stricter monitoring of job advertisements and better interstate coordination on trafficking cases. Community groups have also highlighted the role of the auto-rickshaw driver, whose intervention was crucial in breaking the cycle of abuse. Police have urged job seekers to verify offers through official channels and report suspicious recruitment to authorities.
Disclaimer: The allegations mentioned in this report are based on police statements and ongoing investigations. All accused persons are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
