(a) whether the crime branch of the Delhi Police has recently unearthed a racket of illegal trafficking of children on diplomatic passports:
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the involvement of travel agents and passport issuing authorities have also come to light;
(d) if so, the details and action taken by the Government against such persons; and
(e) the steps taken by the Government to check such trafficking of children in future?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS(SMT. RADHIKA V. SELVI)
(a) & (b): Delhi Police has registered two cases vide FIR numbers 168/2007 and 169/2007
dated 18th April, 2007 involving an MP trying to take one lady named Mrs. Paramjeet Kaur on
the passport issued in the name of his wife Mrs. Sharda Ben Babu Bhai Katara and one child
named Amarjeet Singh, on the passport issued in the name of his son Shri Rajesh Babu Bhai
Katara to Toronto, Canada.
(c) & (d): Investigation conducted so far reveals involvement of some travel agents. Nine
persons including five travel agents have so far been arrested in the said cases.
(e): The various steps taken by the Government to check trafficking of children are given
below:
(i) A Central Advisory Committee (CAC) on implementation of Immoral Trafficking
Prevention Act, 1956 is fuctioning at Central level in the Ministry of Women & Child
Development, which is represented by the States as well as Central Organizations and NGOs etc.
The CAC holds quarterly meetings.
(ii) The Ministry of Home Affairs has set up a Nodal Cell to coordinate matters relating to
trafficking in human beings between the States Government/Union Territory Administration and
other related Ministries etc. and organize co-ordination meetings to review and sensitize
Police Officers of the State/Union Territories on the subject.
(iii) The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has prepared a training
manual on “Human Trafficking Handbook for Investigators†for use in the Police Training
Institutes.
(vi) BPR&D is organizing regional anti-trafficking workshops for sensitizing police
personnel towards the safety and security of women. Several workshops have been held in
various cities till date.
Moreover, following steps have also been taken for checking of passport:
a. Use of magnifying glasses and ultraviolet lamps at all International airports.
b. Issuance of machine readable passports, which are more secure.
c. Installation of Passport Reading Machines (PRMs) and Questionable Document Examiner
(QDX) machines at all major International Airports.
d. Specific training is imparted to Immigration Officers to detect forged/fake documents.