Last year parents of a fourteen-year-old Lila, an illiterate girl of Rautbesi VDC of Nuwakot district, got her married to Kumar Nepali. She neither opposed her parents´ decision nor tried to know more about her to-be husband before marriage. 

In fact, Kumar was not a kumar (a bachelor) as he had already married five women before marrying Lila. But only after a month of the wedding, she could learn from neighbors about the fact that she is his sixth wife. Lila, who was earlier shocked after the fact was unveiled, told Republica, “What could I have done as I came to learn about this only after the marriage? I could not dare to leave my husband.” 

As Lila was alone in her husband house and she did not like to bother him by inquiries about his other wives. So she kept mum. But this was not the end of Lila´s plights. It was aggravated after her husband tried to traffic her to India.

On August 22, Kumar with the help of his neighbor Puskar Nepali, brought lila along with nine-year-old Bimala (name changed) to Kathmandu. “We could not deny after we were asked to go on the trip,” Bimala said, “We were not told about the destination.” 

After Lila and Bimala spent a night in Kathmandu, they were brought to Mahendranagar in a bus in broad daylight. They had not known that they were being trafficked to India. Then Dhirendra Sahi, an hotelier of Mahendranagar, assisted Kumar and Puskar to take them to India. 

However, the Traffic Police and KI Nepal, an NGO, foiled their attempt to trafficking these two girls to India. The case of trafficking in women was came to light after the traffic police personnel deployed at Nepal-India border at Gaddachauki near Mahendranagar, found three persons (Lila, Bimala and Dhirendra Shahi) riding a motorbike, and started making inquires. 

“Later the traffic police learnt from Shahi that Kumar and Puskar had already reached the Indian side of the border and he was to transport the girls to India,” Sushmita Shrestha, a counselor, told Republica. Following the incident, the police rescued Lila and Bimala and it was later revealed that they being trafficked to New Delhi -probably to be sold to some brothel. 

According to Rajendra Prasad Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police of the District Police Office of Kanchanpur, Kumar and Puskar were arrested from Banabasha, an Indian border town close to Mahendranagar.

Meanwhile, a case has been file against those arrested at the district court on the charge of trafficking in women. The police suspect that Kumar´s previous five wives might have been trafficked to India. The investigation is underway, SP Chaudhary added.

Published on: 30 August 2014 | Republica