Patna: A total of 15 minor girls were rescued from six orchestra groups operating within a 10-km radius in Saran district during an intensive crackdown by the district police and its Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU), an official said on Friday.The five-hour operation against the alleged orchestra nexus was conducted in the early hours of Thursday, though police disclosed details only on Friday after completing the necessary formalities. Searches were carried out at six locations jointly by officials of the Bihar Police, the AHTU, and volunteers from two NGOs — the Association for Voluntary Action and the Narayani Seva Sansthan, police said.“Most of the rescued girls bore visible injury marks on their bodies. They were trafficked from Punjab, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Five of the six orchestra owners were arrested, and one vehicle was seized,” a police officer who was part of the crackdown told TOI on Friday.All 15 girls were produced before the Child Welfare Committee and later shifted to a Child Care Institution for rehabilitation and counselling, the officer added.An FIR was registered at Chhapra Mahila police station under Sections 143(1) and 145 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the POCSO Act, 2012, Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Section 16 of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act against seven accused persons.The searches were conducted under the directions of Amit Kumar Jain, ADG, weaker section, CID, Bihar Police, and on the orders of the SSP, Saran. The operation began shortly after 1am on Thursday and continued until morning. While 12 girls were rescued from different orchestra premises, the owner of Khushi Orchestra allegedly pushed three girls into a car and attempted to flee. After an eight-kilometre chase, the accused was apprehended and the girls rescued.According to the FIR, most of the rescued girls told police they had been subjected to physical abuse and forced to dance to vulgar songs before audiences. “The minor girls were forced to perform at night in orchestra groups to obscene songs. They were denied full payment and were subjected to physical violence and verbal abuse,” the FIR stated.All the girls had visible injury marks on their bodies, indicating the extent of the abuse they allegedly suffered at the hands of the orchestra operators. The groups raided included Kajal Orchestra, Sur Sangam Orchestra, Kopa Chatti Orchestra, Khushi Orchestra, Shyam Orchestra and Diya Orchestra, police said.
