She was brought to Gurgaon over a month ago, along with other children and people from Siligudi — on the border of Assam and Bengal. “My aunt is really nice. She often brings a lot of people from our village and gets them jobs in the city so that they can make money,” says Smita. She is completely unaware of the fact that she is being exploited: “I had to come because after my father and brother died last year, I had to help my mother make money¿ And it is easier to get jobs in the city than in our village.”

Childline workers are convinced there is a big human trafficking racket waiting to be unearthed in the suburb. At the moment, they are focussed on trying to locate the “aunt” who brought Smita to Gurgaon. “In my five years of working with trafficked children, I have so often heard of these aunts and uncles, who are nothing more than middlemen bringing cheap labour into the city in return for a commission,” says Anil Mishra, a Childline officer.

Smita was brought to the suburb along with her mother and older brother, whom she has not met for the last two and a half weeks. “My mother and brother got a job soon after we arrived and since then they have not come to visit me. My aunt kept me back to train me better in household chores and promised if I learnt fast I would soon be able to get a job for myself,” says Smita.

She was found roaming around aimlessly on Thursday afternoon in Hari Nagar. According to the Chowki in-charge, Head Constable Babu Lal, “We tried to take her to all the land marks she told us about but she was unable to recognise any place¿ So we have handed her over to Childline today.” Smita is to be produced in court tomorrow and Mishra says, “We are hoping that she is soon united with her mother or we will have to send her to the Sonepat home for missing children.” But Smita has different plans: “When I meet my aunt or mother, I will tell them I do not want to stay with them, as I like it better here¿ I don’t have to work and I can play and study all I like.” Before Smita was brought to Gurgaon, she was enrolled in a village government school and had recently passed Class I.