NHRC issues notice in alleged trafficking of minor girls to Maharashtra

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday (November 3, 2026) took suo motu cognisance of media reports alleging the trafficking and sale of minor girls from the border districts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to various cities in Maharashtra.The NHRC cited media reports in which parents, allegedly driven by poverty and other circumstances, sold their daughters to middlemen for amounts ranging from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh. The middlemen reportedly use forged documents to pass the girls off as their adopted children before trafficking them to Maharashtra.Also read | Eight arrested for trafficking, forcing minor girl into prostitution in HyderabadThe media reports further alleged that once the girls reached adulthood, they were sold for sums of ₹35 lakh to ₹40 lakh and forced into the sex trade. Their personal details are reportedly altered to conceal their identities, making it difficult to trace their backgrounds.The media reports had flagged serious violations of the human rights of the victims, the NHRC said, issuing notice to the Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and asked for detailed reports to be submitted on the issue within two weeks. Published - November 03, 2026 06:23 pm IST