SSP Varinder Kumar today said Parvati (21) of Mulangram in Faridpur district of Bangladesh, was rescued from the house of Kulwant Singh at Bhattian village under Kahnuwan police station on Tuesday last.

He said Parvati was sold to a Delhi brothel by an agent, whose identity the girl did not know. From the brothel, she was purchased by Khairull Sheikh of Banglabasti near Hakima gate in Amritsar city. Khairull Sheikh, in turn, sold her to Kulwant Singh through two middlemen, Daljit Singh and Surjit Singh, both residents of Rangar Nangal village in Batala police district, he added.

The victim told police that she was allegedly raped during her week-long detention at the house of Kulwant Singh. The police investigation revealed that girls from Bangladesh and West Bengalwere being sold in this border district for quite some time and they were usually tempted with offer of jobs in Punjab.

They fetched a price of Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 depending up on their age and appearance. Of this, Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 were pocketed by commission agents, police said.

In December last, police had similarly rescued Limica Rai, 21, and Paneema (30) from the custody of Balbir Singh and Dalip Singh in their houses in Mere and Kiri Afghan village respectively.

Limica, being unmarried, was sold for Rs 16,000, while Paneema fetched a price of Rs 9,500, the police said. Both the girls hailed from 24 Pargana district of West Bengal.

Shaifali, who had similarly been trapped and sold and subsequently settled down in the district, had joined hands with the traffickers. She along with Balbir Singh and Dalip Singh had been arrested.

Varinder Kumar said all the four men involved in the racket, Kahirull Sheikh, Daljit Singh, Surjit Singh and Kulwant Singh, were arrested. A case of abduction andrape had been registered against them under sections 366, 367, and 120-B of IPC by Kahnuwan police.