By Debasmita Chowdhury
TWO MINOR girls, who were allegedly kidnapped and trafficked for prostitution to Hyderabad, have been rescued in a coordinated operation by the Prajwala organisation and the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Hyderabad Police, officers said on Friday.
The rescue operation, led by Mohammad Ahammad Ali of Prajwala and conducted under the guidance of Padma Shri awardee Sunitha Krishnan of Prajwala, was launched on Thursday around 11 pm after receiving information from West Bengal Police. The mission was completed in under 10 hours through close collaboration with Hyderabad Police.
“Team Prajwala raided the flat around 3 am, where the victims were lodged. There were injections found, which indicated that the girls might have been forced into prostitution,” said Rishi Kant, member of Just rights for children alliance network of 250 organisation across India.
Three suspected traffickers were arrested during the operation. One of the accused was allegedly found to be involved in multiple trafficking cases), though specific details of his criminal record were not immediately available. “The girls have been rescued by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in Hyderabad and have been produced before the Child Welfare Unit. They have been sent safely to a children’s home,” Kant said.
According to Prajwala, FIRs were filed on Thursday at a police station in West Bengal and with the Hyderabad Police. The girls are undergoing medical checkups. Officers said the minors were hesitant to speak due to trauma and counselling will be required.
“There has been a complaint of a kidnapping case registered with us. The girls have been rescued. Our team is going to Hyderabad on Saturday… It’s under investigation,” said a senior police officer in Canning.
Sunitha Krishnan, co-founder of Prajwala, said, “Two lives saved and two worlds safeguarded…”
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In Telangana, an FIR has been registered under relevant trafficking sections. All three accused have been remanded in judicial custody.
(Debasmita Chowdhury is an intern at the Kolkata office of The Indian Express)
