Four super cops from four different parts of the country who have been leading the fight against the modern-day menace of human trafficking were recently feted for their courage and conviction at the fourth edition of the Trafficking in Persons Conclave in Ranchi organised by the US consulate, Calcutta, and Delhi-based NGO Shakti Vahini.

 

MALLIKA BANERJEE

Station house officer and anti-human trafficking nodal officer, Chhattisgarh

Age: 30

Journey into uniform: A Bengali girl, Mallika was born in Chhattisgarh,where her parents had migrated to from Calcutta

The youngest of five sisters, she graduated in bioscience and soon after her parents started their search for the perfect groom for their daughter. But Mallika didn't want to marry so soon.

Lovingly called " daroga" by family and neighbours, Mallika knew where to find her calling. "I always wanted to be a doctor or a police officer. Something to do with serving people. When I learnt about a vacancy in the police force I promptly joined as lady sub-inspector, completed my training and also emerged as the Best Lady Commando," she smiled.

First trafficking tryst: It was during her posting in the rural belt of Jaspur in Chattisgarh when she came across families with missing children. "I was surprised to know that there were so many missing children reports but no further investigation or news of their whereabouts," she recalled.

Looking for clues, Mallika dug out old FIRs. "I figured that many had been taken to Delhi. Tracked some of the addresses I went over to the capital in November 2014, changed my identity and my look, pretended to be a beauty product seller and went from para to para, morning to night, giving women head massages and in the process enquiring about some of the key people I was trying to trace."

Within two months, Mallika managed to trail and rescue 20 children and bust 25 placement agencies that had been running a trafficking racket with children for domestic labour.

Being a woman on top of the game: A no-nonsense tough cop who would go to any extent to nab criminals, she still feels the need to be extra alert and strong "since people often don't take us lady officers seriously". Her driving force: "So many children still missing from villages and on the roads, in hotels, in people's home we still find children in drudgery. It has become a mission for me to save all these children from such bondage."

Playtime pursuit: Listening to music and watching Aamir Khan films.

Looks up to: Mother Teresa.

 

ARADHNA SINGH

In-charge of the anti-human trafficking Unit, Khunti, Jharkhand

Age: 58

Journey into the uniform: This super grandmom and supercop with a boyish haircut was a slip of a girl and a mother of two teenaged boys when she joined the police force. Born and raised in Ranchi, she was barely out of school when she was married off.

Her wish to study met with taunts from her in-laws. "They said, 'Do you think you'll become district collector, if you study?' So I put aside my thoughts." Eight years later, she enrolled for graduation. "I did my BEd, followed by master's in home science. I used to love cooking," smiled Aradhna.

"I had told myself, if I ever have to work, I will be a police officer and nothing else! Everyone in my family was in the police and as a child I would only play police-police and beat up my brothers and sisters!" laughed Aradhana, who joined the police department in 1992.

First trafficking tryst: Aradhna was the first woman in-charge of Jharkhand's Mahila Police Station set up in 2007. When Sister Jema (co-ordinator of Jharkhand Domestic Workers' Welfare Trust) came to her the first time to seek help for children being taken away to Delhi in the name of work and exploited, Aradhna was in denial. "I had zero idea at the time of what human trafficking was. Instead I told her 'why worry, at least they are earning'. That's when she explained to me what was happening."

Shocked and transformed, Aradhna was ready to wrestle with the rogues and started out by assisting Sister Jema in rescue operations.

Being a woman on top of the game: Today, Aradhna can nab traffickers within 24 hours of a tip-off. "Bringing a girl back from a trafficker's ring is like snatching meat from a tiger's mouth," said Aradhna, who's no less fierce.

Being a woman has never been a stumbling block. " Main bahadur hun. Humse kisi ko samasya nahi, samasya humse kisiko hain (I am brave, I have no problems with anyone, others may have a problem with me)," she laughed.

Aradhna has already helped rescue 32 girls and capture 20 traffickers, including some of the most wanted trafficking kingpins in the country such as Panna Lal, Baba Bamdev, Bharti Nag and Gayatri Yadav.

Playtime pursuit: Sewing frocks for her granddaughters, gardening, and cooking

Looks up to: Kiran Bedi

 

SARBARI BHATTACHARYA

Officer-in-Charge, anti human trafficking unit, CID, Bengal

Age: 51

Journey into the uniform: She was a shy political science student, on her way to becoming a professional dancer when she drifted into police services and emerged as a force to reckon with in the dark world of trafficking.

"I was passionate about dance - Bharatanatyam, Rabindrik, folk.... I never even thought I'd take up a job. I used to watch this serial about a lady IPS officer called Udaan. It was based on a real story and that was very inspirational for me. I felt the need to create my own identity and empower myself," said Sarbari, who cleared every exam and interview before going in for sub-inspector training "that no one thought I'd be able to complete because it involved everything from riding horses to using rifles".

A 1989 cadet, she started off as a sub-inspector in Malda.

First trafficking tryst: Sarbari made her first breakthrough when she rescued a 15-year-old girl who had gone missing for more than a year from a circus show in a Bengal village. Behind the crusade was the perseverance of a passionate female cop who had put herself in the line of fire, laid a trap and led a CID team to the Delhi den to bring the girl out.

Lauded by the high court for her pathbreaking investigation, a specialised wing under the CID was set up in the state for the first time in 2011 with Sarbari at its head.

Being a woman on top of the game: It wasn't an easy start for the only girl training with 220 boys. "Back in the 90s it still wasn't that easy for a girl to stand up to men and compete with them." Not to be taken for a ride, Sarbari managed to overcome constraints from male seniors who had instructed her not to wear uniform because "you attract attention" and "you cannot go on duty alone". She is now a key player in leading the fight against trafficking in the state that records the highest number of missing women in the country.

"I believe, when a woman takes charge of something, she can be deadlier than a man," said Sarbari who was feted as the Best Investigation Officer in 2012 by the state.

Playtime pursuit: Playing Angry Birds, watching cop flicks and dancing

Looks up to: Rani Laxmi Bai

 

SURINDERJEET KAUR

Assistant commissioner, Delhi Police

Age: 52

Journey into the uniform: This girl from Punjab arrived in Delhi as a child and grew up in conservative surroundings that did not allow her to go to college. "I used to feel trapped within the walls of my house. I completed my education in correspondence," said Surinderjeet, who has a master's in Hindi and a diploma in office management.

But becoming a cop some day was her secret ambition. "My father was a constable but never wanted me to be in the police. He wanted me to be a stenographer instead." The desire to step into an inspector's uniform got the better of her. Afraid that she might end up like her sisters, married off at 16, one fine day she quietly went and joined the Delhi Police. She started out as sub-inspector.

This tough yet amiable officer who hardly fits the stereotype look of a cop has been posted at Kamla Nagar Market police station, known for handling the most notorious areas in Delhi.

First trafficking tryst: Surinderjeet managed to rescue 15 girls on her first assignment. It was her first brush with human trafficking and the miserable condition of girls who were being exploited physically, mentally and financially. "I couldn't take it. I started vomiting. I realised that this was something I was going to go after and monitor the way these cases were being registered and investigated."

Apart from helping the Kamla Nagar police shed the tag of being "unfaithful", an affectionate Surinderjeet has been a mother to the girls she rescued and helped marry off five of them. "They keep calling and sending me pictures on WhatsApp," she gushed.

Being a woman on top of the game: In the initial days, Surinderjeet was one of eight girls against 44 boys and bullying was a part of the game. So she decided to turn things around and beat every one to top her batch, winning the first prize in law.

Over the years, she has rescued more than 110 girls from the brothels of GB Road and 90 minors working as child labourers. Since she became an ACP, Surinderjeet has made it her mission to visit training centres and "sensitise and guide" other officers in human trafficking.

"Women are sensitive being and that drives them to do things with a passion," she signed off.

Playtime pursuit: Listening to old Hindi songs of Lata, Rafi and Mukesh and watching cricket.

Looks up to: "My mother, she was illiterate but ahead of her times. She was a social worker, she was skilled in all kinds of house work and she encouraged me to study."

 

 

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