Sunday 21 July 2013

Bangladeshi girls rescued from Hyderabad brothels sent back home

U Sudhakar Reddy
Bangladeshi girls rescued from city brothels exposed the organized cross border gangs trafficking in the women to the city via Kolkata. Six girls rescued by police reached Delhi with the help of NGOs and repatriated to Bangladesh after prolonged legal procedures.
Two of the victims are pregnant and they revealed their tale of torture that they were confined and harassed by brothel house organizers in the city.  The girls rescued from brothels in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills reached their home in Dhaka on May 21. 
AP Police Academy Special Director (training) and retired CID inspector general of police Mr. S Umapathi says, “there are gangs based in Bangladesh and Kolkata which work in collusion to smuggle in the girls by infiltrating across the porous border. From Kolkata they are taken to Biwandi in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and other cities by train. In the city they are handed over to local organizers. They will not have any travel documents,”
In the city Bangladeshi girls are rescued from various parts including Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and other areas.
In 2012 the six Bangladeshi girls were trafficked to Hyderabad by the cross border gangs. These girls said that they were promised riches in Dubai and took them out of their homes. Without any travel documents they left home and ended up in Hyderabad. The organizer lead them into brothels and confined them under threat. Following a tip off police raided brothels in Banjara Hills and Jubilee hills and rescued them. 
Mr Ashuthosh Saxena of STOP Trafficking and Oppression of Women and Children in India says ,”,”A rescue was done but the human costs were brutal, two of the seven Bangadeshi girls had unwanted pregnancies others with deep scars . They were shifted to local NGO’s shelter home., even on this edge of survival and want to return home, there was still more official lingo and undergoing of magisterial and Police appearances for these tormented girls. Our teams ran around processing their Travel papers with the central ministries, others at the home gave them the care and support and reason to begin believing on life. The two pregnant girls and others found immense support for their Medical and other needs were provided shelter,”
When asked about the legal tanles Mr. Umpathi said,”We are considering all sex workers as victims following National Human Rights Commission guidelines and 165 GO of state home department. Sometimes local police are booking cases under Foreigners Act. We have told local police not to book such cases in case of victims. According SAARC protocol the information is sent to Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata. The High Commission in turn asks Bangladesh Home ministry which will do home verification of girls and based on that they will report back to High Commission. Then they were handed over to them to reach Bangladesh for reintegration and repatriation,”
In December 10 2012 North Zone Task Force sleuths arrested six Bangaldeshi nationals who are sex workers.
Task Force DCP Mr. P Rameshaiah  said ,” They are from Gopalgunj, Kalikapur, Dawangunj,. Sherpur areas of Bangaldesh. One of them is 14 year old. The organizer Bithi is also a Bangladehis national and she came to India and stayed illegally in Nadia District of West Bengal along with her husband by name Kalkal who is also a Bangladeshi National. To earn easy money Bithi hatched a plan with Shamim Hossain  a Bangladehis to organize brothel at Hyderabad. They brought  three girls from Bangladesh. All these three sex workers are Bangladeshi nationals and have been brought to India for human trafficking and are staying illegally at Hyderabad, India without any valid Passport or Visa. Another accused Raj Mondal who is also a Bangladeshi National came to India few years back and opened a Maa clinic at Charminar and attracting customers in the name of treating various sexual diseases including impotency. The customers are sent to Biti,”
In 2013 January Osmania University police arrested another Bangladeshi national involved in brothel. A minor girls was rescued after arresting the organizer Fathima Khatun.
How do they cross border
According to police in the border area of India and Bangladesh there are two check posts at Bangaon at West Bengal in India and Benapole in Bangladesh. There are some brokers on either side of the borders who are hand in glove with each other and allow Bangladeshi Nationals into India, without any valid Passport or Visa by taking just Rs. 1500  to Rs. 2000 per person. During interrogation it came to light that, accused Biti and Shamim have taken the help of these brokers to get those sex workers into India from Bangladesh for crossing the Indo-Bangladesh border. 

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