Jammu, May 16 (JKNS): Jammu and Kashmir recorded 60 victims of human trafficking during 2024, with forced labour emerging as the leading cause behind trafficking-related offences in the Union Territory, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
As per the NCRB report titled “Crime in India 2024”, accessed by news agency JKNS, law enforcement agencies in Jammu and Kashmir rescued 58 trafficking victims during anti-human trafficking operations carried out across the region during the year.
The report stated that out of the total 60 identified victims, 36 persons were trafficked for forced labour, making it the highest reported reason behind trafficking in the Union Territory. Besides forced labour, 12 victims were trafficked for coerced marriages, eight for sexual exploitation linked to prostitution and two for domestic servitude.
The NCRB figures further revealed that the identified victims included eight girls below the age of 18 years, 36 adult males and 16 adult females.
Among the total 58 rescued victims during 2024, eight were minor girls, 36 were adult males and 14 were adult females.
The report also highlighted the presence of inter-state and cross-border trafficking networks operating in the region. According to the nationality-wise break-up of rescued persons, four rescued victims were Indian nationals, including one male and three females.
A total of 35 rescued persons were Nepalese citizens, all of them males, while the remaining 19 rescued victims were females belonging to other nationalities.
The NCRB data further revealed that Jammu and Kashmir registered 17 human trafficking cases during 2024, marking a steady increase in such crimes compared to previous years. The Union Territory had recorded 10 trafficking cases in 2023 and eight cases in 2022.
Out of the 17 cases registered during 2024, 13 were lodged under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), while four cases were registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the report stated.
Investigating agencies filed charge-sheets in 13 cases and submitted final reports in three others, taking the overall charge-sheeting rate in human trafficking cases to 81.3 percent.
The NCRB report further stated that police arrested 45 accused persons in connection with human trafficking cases during the year, while 42 accused were subsequently charge-sheeted.
However, despite arrests and investigations, no conviction was recorded in trafficking-related cases during 2024 as the trials in the registered cases remained pending and were not completed during the period under review.
The report also revealed that as of December 31, 2024, a total of 26 Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) were functional across 36 police districts in Jammu and Kashmir for tackling trafficking-related offences and rescue operations.
At the national level, NCRB data showed that 2,135 human trafficking cases were registered by Anti Human Trafficking Units across various States and Union Territories during 2024. Telangana reported the highest number of trafficking cases at 423, followed by Maharashtra with 337 cases and Andhra Pradesh with 159 cases.
Human trafficking in India continues to involve multiple forms of exploitation, including forced labour, sexual exploitation, coerced marriages, domestic servitude, child trafficking, bonded labour and organised cross-border trafficking networks targeting vulnerable populations, especially women, children and economically weaker sections.
The NCRB data indicates that while law enforcement agencies in Jammu and Kashmir have intensified anti-trafficking operations and rescue efforts, the increasing number of registered cases points towards the continuing challenge posed by trafficking networks operating within and beyond the region. (JKNS)
