12-Year-Old Girl, Woman from Bangladesh Rescued from Prostitution Racket in Vasai, Three Held
Police officials found that a 12-year-and-5-month-old girl from Bangladesh was allegedly being pushed into prostitution.
Pune: In a dramatic operation, a 12-year-old girl from Bangladesh, who ran away from home, was rescued from the clutches of prostitution racket carried out in Naigao, near Vasai in Palghar district of Maharashtra recently.
Officials said on July 26, a joint rescue operation was carried out by two Mumbai-based NGOs Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation in close coordination with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of Mira-Bhayander, led by of Police Inspector Devidas Handore under the supervision of Mira-Bhayander-Virar-Vasai Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik.
Police officials found that a 12-year-and-5-month-old girl from Bangladesh was allegedly being pushed into prostitution.
Police also rescued a 20-year-old woman from Bangladesh, who had been a victim of trafficking, from the same location.
Police arrested three Bangladeshi nationals named Mohammad Khalid Bapari, Juber Sheikh and Shamin Sardar.
“The MBVV Police Commisionerate is using the full force of law upon the criminals to unearth the entire network and ensure a safe environment for vulnerable adolescents,” said Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik.
“After failing a school exam, the girl, who fled her home out of fear, was lured by a woman named Meem from her village,” Dr Abrahan Mathai, former vice president of Maharashtra State Minority Commission told Deccan Chronicle.
The girl was allegedly illegally trafficked across the border to Kolkata, where a fake Aadhaar card was made, he said, adding that she was then flown to Mumbai, where she was held captive in Naigaon, near Mumbai.
“At Naigaon she stayed with an old man and his wife along with 7 to 8 girls. One day the old man gave her an injection and raped her and since then she was offered to many unknown customers without her consent,” a statement from Harmony Foundation said.
At the premises, it said the girl was subjected to sexual exploitation after being injected with drugs.
“The minor was repeatedly trafficked to multiple cities for prostitution against her will, by a trafficking network led by Khalid Bapari and his associates,” Mathai said.
This rescue operation underscores the urgent need for vigilance, inter-agency coordination, and community reporting to combat the deep-rooted issue of human trafficking, he noted.
The rescued victims are now safe and will be given necessary rehabilitation and support, Mathai added.