Missing Children: Jharkhand’s Increasing Trafficking Crisis

Fourteen-year-old Emil Arpan Kujur, who had been missing for nearly a week, returned home to Chanho on Wednesday after nearly a week. He had run away after being scolded by his mother, leaving his family distraught as days passed without any information about his whereabouts.

Emil was traced in Namkum, after which the police acted swiftly and brought him safely to the local police station. Following the required formalities, he was reunited with his mother and family. Both Chanho and Namkum are in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand.

The family’s greatest relief was that Emil had not fallen into the hands of human traffickers. It is a fear that haunts many families in the state, where thousands of missing children have never been found.

The Threat Remains

In recent days, several missing children have been recovered. Media reports say police rescued 56 children across the state in just two weeks. Action against human trafficking intensified after the disappearance of two young siblings, Ansh and Anshika. Their case sparked widespread protests and marches across Jharkhand by social organisations and opposition parties, pushing the administration to respond.

Given the seriousness of the issue, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed on the orders of the Ranchi SSP. The 48-member team, led by the City SP, Rural SP and Traffic SP, launched a large-scale operation to trace missing children. Police reviewed over 500 CCTV clips and checked nearly 5,000 vehicles during the investigation.

The Ansh–Anshika Case 

On 2 January, Ansh (5) and Anshika (4) were abducted from Jagannathpur in Dhurwa, Ranchi, by a trafficking gang. After an intensive search, police rescued them on 14 January from the Chitarpur area of Ramgarh district, about 60 kilometres from Ranchi.

Their father, Sunil Kumar Yadav, recalls the ordeal with anguish. “We had lost hope. I thought if it was for ransom, they would call within a day or two. But when nothing happened for 12 days, we feared we might never see our children again.”

Sunil said he hopes the police will now find other missing children across the state, just as they found his. He also thanked the police and everyone who spoke out for Ansh and Anshika.

A New Trafficking Pattern Emerges

During the 12-day-long investigation, police uncovered a new trafficking pattern targeting very young children. This gang has been identified as the “Gulguliya Gang,” reportedly linked to a larger network based in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.

Police operations against such gangs are currently ongoing. After the recovery of Ansh and Anshika, Chief Minister Hemant Soren also assured continued action against trafficking networks.

Jharkhand CID ADG Manoj Kaushik told Outlook that multiple child trafficking gangs are active and operate through an extensive network.

“Child trafficking is not limited to Jharkhand; it is a pan-India problem. Investigations and action against these gangs will continue,” he said.

Children, Especially Tribal Girls, at the Centre of Trafficking

Child rights activist Baidyanath Kumar, Secretary of the Child Rights Foundation in Ranchi, says the Gulguliya gang operates on behalf of larger trafficking syndicates spread across multiple states.

“Earlier, Jharkhand was known for trafficking girls under the pretext of domestic work. Now there is a growing demand for children,” he explains. “Larger networks use smaller groups like the Gulguliya gang to traffic children and force some into begging and selling others to childless couples. This problem exists across state borders.”

He believes that more thorough police investigations would lead to the rescue of many more children and expose clear links to national trafficking networks.

Having worked on trafficking for nearly two decades, Baidyanath estimates that between three and four million children from Jharkhand are currently working across India. He says his organisation has rescued almost 10,000 children. During the lockdown, while millions of migrant workers returned home, many girls from Jharkhand did not.

“Every year, thousands of girls are trafficked out of Jharkhand,” he says.

Chandramuni Urain’s daughter is one of them. Missing since 2018, Chandramuni, who lives in a village in Gumla district, has spent the past seven years searching for her child. In desperation, she has even filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court.

A Chronic Problem for 25 Years

Over the past 25 years, human trafficking has turned into a deep-rooted wound for Jharkhand. Regardless of which government has been in power, the issue has never become a major political concern, largely because the victims are poor tribal girls, who are not seen as a political vote bank.

The most disturbing aspect of trafficking in Jharkhand is that tribal girls are its primary victims.

According to a report by the Ram Dayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute (TRI), nearly 90% of girls trafficked from Jharkhand are from tribal communities and are sold to states like Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab.

On 9 March 2015, responding to a question in the Jharkhand Assembly, the government stated that between 2005 and 2014, 3,839 children were trafficked from the state, and 1,281 of them were never traced. During this period, cases related to trafficking reportedly increased by 400 per cent, earning Jharkhand the grim nickname “Lapata Ganj” (the land of the missing). 

Little Has Changed

Sadly, the situation today is no different from what it was a decade ago. While police and administration continue efforts at their level, trafficking persists. Jharkhand CID has partnered with 30 NGOs to raise awareness in villages and towns. According to CID data, between January 2017 and December 2022, 656 trafficking cases were registered, involving 1,574 victims. Of these, 1,473 were rescued, including 1,001 women. During this period, 783 traffickers were arrested.

How the Trafficking Network Works

Experts say trafficking is a well-organised crime with a clear chain stretching from villages to major cities. In villages, local agents target families, often from nuclear households, and lure children away. The children are taken to Ranchi railway station, where another agent escorts them to Delhi. At the Delhi station, they are handed over again and taken to placement agencies, which place them as domestic workers.

These agencies either sell the child outright or collect money on a monthly or yearly basis. In Delhi alone, agencies reportedly earn between ₹1 and ₹1.5 lakh per child. To bring a child from a village, they spend roughly the same amount, which is later recovered through exploitation.

The Missing Law

For years, activists have demanded a Placement Agency Regulation Bill to curb trafficking. Chhattisgarh is the only state with such a law. Jharkhand drafted a similar bill in 2016, but it has yet to be passed.

Supreme Court lawyer Ravikant, who works on child labour and access to justice, explains: “Once a placement law is enacted, the government can properly monitor agencies to check details such as how many people they employ, where they work, their ages, wages and the nature of their work. Both agencies and the agents supplying workers would be registered.”

He believes such laws could significantly reduce trafficking.

Underreported and Underestimated

A UN report lists Jharkhand among the most vulnerable states for child and women trafficking. According to Shakti Vahini, an organisation working on trafficking, nearly five lakh children are trafficked in India every year. More than 20,000 children are trafficked annually from states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar.

Activists say official figures reflect only registered cases, while the real numbers are far higher and largely unreported.

Journalist Pranav, who has reported extensively on trafficking in Jharkhand, says the pattern has changed. “Trafficking has always been a major issue here, but the targeting of very young children is new. Earlier, it was mostly adolescents. Now, most rescued children are between four and seven years old.”

He adds that gangs often prey on families who lack the means to pressure the police. Pranav also alleges that some groups are involved not only in forced begging and illegal adoption, but also in organ trafficking.

“The problem continues because police often delay registering FIRs. Despite Supreme Court orders requiring missing child cases to be registered immediately under kidnapping or trafficking laws, officers frequently insist on waiting 24 hours,” he says.