NEW DELHI, SEP 22 (PTI): The Union Home Ministry has asked states and union territories to intensify enforcement against human trafficking and ensure victim identification covers “all genders and every industry vulnerable to exploitation”.
In an advisory on ‘Countering Trafficking in Persons’, the MHA’s Women Safety Wing urged investigators to invoke Section 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to target organised trafficking networks, including financiers and “kingpins”, rather than limiting action to lower-level participants.
The Ministry said the three criminal laws, along with digital tools, provide a framework to dismantle trafficking networks.
Under its “Universal Victim Identification and Protection Protocols”, the Ministry stressed that labour trafficking in brick kilns, stone quarries and unregulated manufacturing often remains under-reported. States and UTs were asked to include “men and boys” in identification protocols and conduct regular, unannounced inspections of high-risk industries.
Field personnel and labour inspectors should be trained to identify victims of exploitation, it said.
The Ministry directed state police and labour departments to use databases such as CCTNS/Cri-MAC to map high-risk migration routes and trafficking hotspots. It also called for Anti-Human Trafficking Units to be fully staffed and involved in investigations.
The advisory warned that public servants could face criminal and departmental action for failing to follow prescribed procedures. Under Section 199(c) of the BNS, a public servant who fails to record information relating to certain cognizable offences, including trafficking offences under Sections 143 and 144, can face at least six months and up to two years in prison, besides a fine.
The Ministry said action should target trafficking kingpins and financiers, including through asset seizure, and urged authorities to seek the highest applicable penalties, including life imprisonment in cases involving minors or multiple victims.
Investigators were also directed to secure encrypted communications, financial transactions and geolocation data. Electronic records can be treated as primary evidence under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, subject to its conditions.
Searches and seizures linked to trafficking must be recorded through audio-video electronic means, while forensic evidence collection during rescue and raid operations is required under the new criminal procedure law. It said implementation would depend on state leadership and strict compliance by field-level officers.
