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Bangladeshi girl, 14, rescued from sex racket in Maharashtra says 200 men abused her in 3 months
She was given sedatives, hormonal injections to induce early puberty; branded with a hot spoon to force her into submission, say cops investigating the case
She ran away from home in Bangladesh after she failed a subject in school, and ended up in a sex racket across the border in India, where 200 men sexually assaulted her in three months since — this is what a 14-year-old girl rescued from Maharashtra's Palghar district has reportedly told the police and her rescuers.
Officials said her statement is being verified.
The girl was rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar Police, in a joint operation with NGOs Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation.
Of the 10 persons arrested so far after a raid on a flat in Naigaon in Vasai on July 26, six are Bangladeshi nationals. These include three of the five victims, including the 14-year-old girl, who were allegedly trafficked to different locations, including Navi Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, and places in Gujarat and Karnataka, too.
In her statement at a juvenile detention centre, the 14-year-old said she was first trafficked to Nadiad in Gujarat, where she suffered abuse, a police official told PTI.
How the Bangladeshi teen ended up in sex racket
Harmony Foundation president Abraham Mathai said the girl had failed in a subject in school, after which she ran away from home. She was then made to cross over into India illegally by a woman she knew, who then pushed her into the flesh trade, Mathai was quoted saying.
Police officials also said the girl may have been given hormonal injections to induce premature puberty, and sedatives to keep her from running away.
The traffickers and agents branded her with a hot spoon to force her into submission, an official told PTI. Human rights activist Madhu Shankar told the news agency that there are several instances of girls being abducted when they are infants, and then pushed into the flesh trade as minors after being given such injections.
Racket may be wider, say cops
Those arrested after the Palghar raid include main accused Mohammad Khalid Abdul Bapari (33), who allegedly trafficked the victims to various cities; and Juber Harun Sheikh (38) and Shamim Gafar Sardar (39), also alleged to be agents.
Efforts are on to unravel a wider racket. MBVV police chief Niket Kaushik said teams have been dispatched to various places in the country.
A case was registered on July 27 under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Juvenile Justice Act, Foreigners Act and the Passport Act, the police added.
