Biswabrata Goswami
KRISHNAGAR, 25 DEC: What began as an apparent case of illegal border crossing has unravelled into a grim tale of human trafficking, coercion and sexual exploitation in Nadia district.
The arrest of a local hotel owner, today, has exposed how a young Bangladeshi woman was allegedly lured into India on the promise of work, sold into forced prostitution, and stripped of her freedom before her desperate attempt to return home led to her detention by the Border Security Force (BSF).
According to police sources, personnel of BSF BOP Madhupur under the 161 Battalion detained a 22-year-old Bangladeshi woman near the international border on 19 December. Following her detention, a written complaint was lodged at Bhimpur police station, leading to the registration of Bhimpur PS Case No. 345/25 dated 19.12.2025 under Sections 143(2), 144(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the course of investigation, police examined all surrounding evidence and recorded the woman’s confidential statement before a magistrate. Her testimony, officials said, revealed a disturbing sequence of events. She was allegedly brought into India after being promised employment, only to be sold at Kali Ma Hotel in Bahadurpur, owned by Bachchan Ghosh. There, she was reportedly forced into sex work, while her mobile phone and money were taken away to prevent her escape.
Police sources said the woman managed to flee the hotel and, after making enquiries, attempted to return to Bangladesh through a nearby border point. It was during this attempt that she came to the attention of BSF personnel and was detained.
Acting on the leads that emerged during the investigation, a police team led by SI Tushar Kanti Ghosh conducted a raid on Wednesday and arrested the accused hotel owner from the Dhubulia police station area.
“The accused Bachchan Ghosh has been arrested in connection with the case. He will be produced before the court tomorrow, and police will seek five days’ custody remand for further interrogation in the interest of the investigation,” a senior police officer said.
Investigators believe the case may have wider ramifications and are probing whether the accused was part of a larger trafficking network operating along the Indo-Bangladesh border. Further arrests are not being ruled out as the investigation progresses, a senior police officer said.
