On the basis of complaints by seven of the 27 girls rescued girls from New Delhi, India, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Sunday arrested two Nepali nationals on the charge of trafficking girls to India via land routes. The arrested are 38-year-old Sujil Rai aka Sushil of Khotang district and currently residing in Sano Thimi of Bhaktapur and 43-year-old Raj Babu Shrestha of Mahottari district. Rai, who had taken the seven girls to Bhairahawa from Kathmandu, was arrested from Gundu of Bhaktapur and Shrestha, who was allegedly involved in luring girls from different places, was arrested from Solitbazar-9 of Sarlahi. Soon after the girls were returned to Nepal, CIB had geared up its investigation.

The girls were rescued with help from the Indian police and Nepal's embassy in New Delhi. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare had handed over the girls over to CIB in order to identify their destinations and the kingpin and agents involved in the trafficking racket. During preliminary investigation, the police had found that their passports had the seal of Nepal immigration though they had used land route to travel to India. Earlier, Indian security agencies had initiated investigation on suspicion of trafficking of Nepali girls through the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The Indian police had arrested 27-year-old Bishnu Tamang of Sindhupalchowk and 33-year-old Ishwor Neupane aka Dayaram Pandit and two Air India staffers. The two will be brought to Nepal for further investigation after completing necessary formalities, the CIB said. CIB spokesperson SP Kiran Bajracharya said the rescued girls were handed over to their respective families.