Andhra to Gulf : Girls fall prey to Sex racket

By U Sudhakar Reddy
Police has busted a major racket trafficking young women from the state to Gulf countries including Dubai, Kuwait and Oman and forcing them into the sex trade.
Sleuths of the CID and West Godavari police arrested some local suspects and issued FIRs against the racket’s agents in Dubai and Kuwait. The women were trapped in the racket after being promised jobs as maid servants and baby-sitters in Gulf countries.
One of them, a 21-year-old woman of West Godavari district, was rescued and brought back to Hyderabad from Dubai with the help of Indian Embassy.
She said several others like her were languishing in brothels in Dubai. “I was raped several times by Arabs and was taken to 17 places where I was abused further,” she said.
An agent named A.
Gavaraiah Naidu of West Godavari faked her age and got her passport and visas to Muscat and Dubai. She also got the ‘Emigration Check Not Required’ clearance though she is less than 30 years of age and did not have the required educational qualification. Naidu has been arrested by Undrajavaram police for his involvement in the racket. “He promised the job of a maid servant at a salary of 700 dirhams per month and my husband paid him Rs 60,000,” she said.
The young woman alleged that Naidu raped her in Bengaluru. “Later I was taken to Muscat where an Arab sheikh sexually exploited me for 10 days,” she said. “He gave me a sari, a cell phone and Rs 10,000.
I sent the money to a bank in the city.” The girl was then taken to a brothel run by Jyothi, a relative of Naidu, in Dubai, from where she was shifted to her sister Venkata Lakshmi’s house.
“At least 20 to 25 persons used to exploit me in a day,” she said. “Jyothi took away my passport and mobile phone and also tortured me with burning cigarettes.” She used to talk to her husband on the mobile phones of some of the ‘clients’ who visited the brothel, including men from AP. Finally, she escaped and reached the Indian embassy that shifted her to a shelter where she stayed for 10 days before returning to the city.
Four other young women from Suryaraopalem of West Godavari district have also been trapped by Jyothi and efforts are on to bring them back home.
“The gang lures women with the promise of jobs,” said CID (anti-trafficking) inspector general, Mr S. Umapathi. “We are trying to trace some bar dancers who were forced into the trade.
We will be issuing more FIRs against the accused.” The inspector general of CID (anti-trafficking unit) addressed the media on the eve of rescuing women from Andhra Pradesh who had fallen prey to a sex racket in the Gulf. Mr Umapathi urged parents and husbands not to send the women to Gulf countries without checking the veracity of the agents.
The Protector of Emigrants of Hyderabad, Mr Ajit Chouhan, said that at least 31,000 persons were given ECNR clearance from his office last year.
“Individuals who go to Gulf countries as housemaids should be 30 years old and should have original or embassy attested visa, work agreement attested by embassy or work permit,” he said.
The inspector general added, “They should also have Pravasi Bharthi Bheema Yojana.” There are eight Protector of Emigrants (PoE) offices in the country. People from Andhra Pradesh should go to POEs at Chennai, Mumbai, Tiruvananthapuram and Delhi apart from Hyderabad for ECNR (Emigration Clearance Not Required).
The Kadapa Superintendent of Police, Mr. Mahesh Bhagawat, said that the three other young women from West Godavari district were also rescued.
He added that the racketeers also shot pornographic movies with the women from the state.
(Photo courtesyAAFAQ)