Mumbai: Two days after the Social Service branch rescued two minors girls from a prostitution racket, and one them was found to be pregnant, the officials have started the process of registering an offence alleging rape.
On May 5, the two minors aged 14 and 16 were rescued from Andheri after the SS branch received a tip about them. A woman identified as Najma Shaikh who allegedly pushed them into the prostitution racket was arrested. The girls are residents of Ambernath and hail from poor families.
“After they were rescued, the preliminary medical tests revealed that the 16-year-old was two months’ pregnant. When we asked her about it, she said she had no clue about it,” said an officer. Keeping in mind the critical nature of the situation, the police started counselling sessions with both the girls. “The 16-year-old girl told us she used to spend up to 10 days at any customer’s house. They would be taken by the pimps who promised them good money for household work, but the owners would then sexually assault them,” the officer added.
Since the girl is a minor, the police has decided to take strictest action possible and will be registering a case under section 376 (rape). But this won’t be an easy task, said officers. “Since the girls were involved in prostitution, they had sexual intercourse with more than one man. Also, they were not restricted to one area so narrowing down on the person who impregnated her will be difficult,” said the officer.
Sources reveal that to start the investigation, the police is talking to the girls to gain as much information as possible about the places the girls were taken to. “We are asking the girls to think hard and will draw up a list of all localities they visited. Accordingly, we will determine the police stations and an FIR will be registered and the station will also help in nabbing the offenders,” the officer said.
