Trafficking whiff as youth returns from Gujarat after 10 years

TNN |  Jan 1, 2018, MALDA: A 28-year-old man, who allegedly got lost in Gujarat 10 years ago, returned to his home at Kaliaganj in North Dinajpur on Friday. Soon after returning, the man, along with other villagers, thrashed two of his neighbours for allegedly selling him to the owner of a hotel in Gujarat. The victim, Sanjoy Deb Sharma, claimed that he was made to work as a bonded labourer at the hotel against two meals a day.

Sharma, the only son of farmer couple Dhiren Deb Sharma and Budhan of village Veur, had gone to Gujarat in 2007 with some of his villagers but didn't return home. Search for him did not yield any result. A couple of the village, Shib Burman and Tultuli Burman who accompanied Sharma to Gujarat, claimed that he was returning with them but got off the train midway. They even returned Sharma's bag to his family.

Around 9pm on Friday, Sanjoy returned to his home and narrated everything to his parents. He claimed that after working in Gujarat for a few months, he was returning with others. But in train, he was allegedly drugged. "After regaining consciousness, he found himself at a hotel in Gujarat," said a source. He reportedly learnt that he was sold to the owner of the hotel by one Jabbar of Kaliachak. Since then he had been working there as a bonded labourer. He had to wash utensils and run errands against two meals a day.

A few days ago, when his owner was out of the hotel, Sharma managed to flee. After returning home, Sharma held the Burmans responsible for his fate. "They knew everything and connived with Jabbar to sell me," he alleged. This made the villagers attack Burmans on Saturday morning. The couple was taken out of their house, tied to polls and roughed up by villagers. Finally, cops rescued them. Police super Shyam Sing said, "We are interrogating them. The version of the youth too is being recorded."