New Delhi, Aug 31: The Delhi Police on Monday busted a human trafficking network involved in forcing women into prostitution at a brothel on GB Road, arresting three women and rescuing two victims.

According to the police, the two women were rescued from Kotha No. 58, GB Road, in two separate cases. The victims were lured on the pretext of employment and subsequently forced into prostitution.

In one case, a 26-year-old married woman and mother of three children was brought from West Bengal to Delhi after being promised employment and was subsequently sold to a caretaker of the brothel.

In the second case, a 28-year-old woman was threatened with harm to her eight-year-old son if she refused to engage in prostitution.

Police said separate cases have been registered under Sections 137(2), 143(2), 144(1), 64(2), 61 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 5 and 6 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITP Act).

The first case came to light on August 26, when a 60-year-old woman approached the Women Police Post and reported that her 26-year-old daughter had been missing from West Bengal since May 2.

Police said the victim ‘R’ contacted her mother on August 25 and informed her that she was allegedly confined at Kotha No. 58, GB Road, and sought help for her rescue.

Acting on the information, SI Kiran Sethi, In-charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking/Women Police Post, along with Women Constables Komal and Rashmi, reached the premises and rescued the woman.

During the enquiry, the victim told police that on May 2, while she was at a railway station in West Bengal, a man identified as Kalu, aged around 30 lured her on the pretext of arranging employment and brought her to Delhi.

He took possession of her mobile phone and subsequently sold her to Geeta, who was working as a caretaker of the brothel.

According to the police, Geeta kept the victim at her residence for around a month before taking her to Kotha No. 58, GB Road. She was handed over to Reshma, the alleged owner of the brothel, who forced her into prostitution.

The victim further alleged that the money earned by her was retained by Geeta and caretaker Manju.

During the enquiry, another woman, identified as ‘J’, aged 28, approached the Women Police Post seeking assistance and was also rescued from the same premises.

According to her statement, around two years ago, following a quarrel with her husband and mother-in-law in West Bengal, she left her home along with her eight-year-old son.

While travelling towards Sealdah Railway Station, a woman gained her confidence by offering food and drinks to her son. The woman subsequently took them to her residence on the pretext of helping them.

The following day, the woman brought ‘J’ and her son to New Delhi Railway Station and thereafter took them by autorickshaw to Geeta’s residence. On the next day, Geeta allegedly took them to Kotha No. 58, GB Road.

Police said ‘J’ was promised employment involving sweeping and mopping work but was subsequently forced into prostitution.

She further said that she was threatened with harm to her son if she refused to comply. The money earned by her was allegedly retained by Geeta and Manju.

According to her statement, her son was subsequently taken to a hostel by Paro, another caretaker, and she was allowed to meet him only once every three to four months.

Police said efforts are underway to trace and recover the eight-year-old boy.

Both victims were medically examined at Lok Nayak Hospital and provided counselling. Their statements were also recorded, police said.

In the case pertaining to victim ‘R,’ Geeta and Manju were arrested.

In the case pertaining to victim ‘J’, the accused have been identified as Geeta, a 55-year-old resident of GB Road and permanent resident of West Bengal; Manju, a 58-year-old resident of GB Road and permanent resident of West Bengal; and Paro Khatoon, a 29-year-old resident of GB Road and permanent resident of West Bengal. All three allegedly worked as caretakers/pimps at the brothel.

Police said Rs 55,000 in cash was recovered from the brothel premises. Tokens, a register and an electricity bill were also recovered.

During interrogation, the victims reiterated that they had been brought to Delhi on the promise of employment and subsequently forced into prostitution.

Police said further interrogation and investigation are underway to identify the remaining persons allegedly involved in the trafficking network and ascertain their individual roles.

The investigation also revealed that Reshma, Manju and Geeta had been involved in a similar human trafficking and exploitation case registered at PS Kamla Market in 2025.

According to police, they are presently out on court bail in connection with FIR No. 139/25 of PS Kamla Market, pertaining to human trafficking.

Further investigation is underway to apprehend the remaining co-accused persons, trace the missing child and ascertain the extent of the trafficking and exploitation network.

New Delhi, Aug 29: Nepal’s devastating flash floods serve as a reminder of the urgent need for regional collaboration, where countries under the shadow of the mighty Himalayas need to adopt a diplomatic narrative that includes ecological security as an important part of relationships, exert reports.

Popular Nepali newspaper Kantipur Friday observed that it is time for Kathmandu to immediately start working on disaster diplomacy and on the agreement with Beijing on its “implementation modality” and “framework”.

Incidentally, China and Nepal had agreed to share cross-border real-time information on floods and landslides and flag potential risks of glacial lake outburst floods. However, no formal agreement has been signed yet to implement such a mechanism despite Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal having raised the issue during his China visit in May.

Such reports emphasised the need for sharing information and cooperation in disaster reduction, where long-term risks should be taken into account in the construction of strategic structures such as roads, bridges, and hydropower projects near international borders.

Parliamentarians from across the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region too had insisted on Wednesday, as news of the devastation emerged, that the tragedy underscored the urgent need for stronger regional cooperation to address climate risks that transcend national boundaries.

They were meeting for the two-day 2nd Hindu Kush Himalaya Parliamentarians’ Meet in Thimphu, where a moment of silence for the victims and their families was also observed, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of the people of the HKH.

Participants said the disaster highlighted the importance of collective action, stronger preparedness, and sustained regional cooperation to reduce climate-related risks and build resilience across the HKH region. ICIMOD is based in Kathmandu, and works in and for eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The body later examined satellite imagery and concluded that “a massive rock–ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende River and triggering cascading floods downstream”.

Their assessment pointed not to tectonic activity but to glacial instability, a phenomenon increasingly linked to climate change. This was corroborated by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which earlier took the tremor as an earthquake.

In a revised statement, the USGS stated that additional analysis of seismic waves and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was rather a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred. Global warming and construction in nearby areas are largely being seen as the reason for the avalanche, though the actual reason may take some time to be identified, pointed reports.

Some experts compared such glaciers on mountains to cement that helps hold a building together. Mongabay, a US-based non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform, also said that the floods were triggered by a glacier collapse and landslide into a river on the Tibet-Nepal border.

Like other reports, it assumed climate change had loosened the ice “till the entire mountainside, including a glacier clinging to it, collapsed into the river flowing some 3,000 metres below”.

Pointing out that no early warning system would have helped those who were close downstream when the huge chunk and debris fell on Wednesday, the article stated that one way to manage this risk is to be able to predict such a disaster with a credible probability level, so that governments can take protective action. This, it emphasised, would need countries to comprehensively map all icebound slopes above a certain gradient. In the face of such reports, the HKH countries would need to step up research, share data, and coordinate seamlessly to be prepared for such calamities.

New Delhi, Aug 29: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday stated that four more Indian nationals were rescued from a hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa, bringing the total number of rescued Indian nationals to 88.

The ministry confirmed that the rescued individuals are Ripu Kumar, Chaneshwar Narzary, Kripa Shankar and Mohammed Minhajuddin.

The MEA also stated that 120 Indian nationals crossed into Nepal from China on Saturday.

It mentioned that 287 Indian nationals still remain missing and 128 persons of Indian origin also remain missing as of 5 pm on Saturday.

A six-member forensic experts team from India is expected to reach Kathmandu on Saturday to assist in the analysis of DNA samples for identification of mortal remains.

“A specialised technical team for tunnel rescue reconnaissance reached Kathmandu yesterday and started working from today to assist in tunnel rescue in the impacted area. Based on their recommendation, a specialised tunnel rescue team from India with equipment is expected to reach Nepal today,” MEA stated.

Meanwhile, Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel on Saturday expressed gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu for her concern and the support extended by the government of India following the devastating flash floods in Nepal that left hundreds dead and caused widespread destruction.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of Nepal, I extend our deepest gratitude to Your Excellency Smt Droupadi Murmu for your kind concern and also for the generous support and solidarity extended by your government following the recent calamity in Nepal,” the Office of the President of Nepal posted on X.

Paudel also conveyed condolences over the tragic loss of Indian lives in the aftermath of the catastrophic flood on Wednesday.

“We also offer our heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the Government and the people of India for the tragic loss of Indian lives in the disaster of August 26, 2026,” he stated.