The Samta Nagar police arrested a man on charge of human trafficking on Friday.
The man was arrested in a public place as he was trying to offer the sexual services of two young women to a prospective customer. The women, aged 22 and 25, were rescued by the police team after the customer agreed to pay the trafficker ₹2,500 each for the women.
The women were rescued following a joint operation by the police and the International Justice Mission (IJM), Mumbai, which works for the rehabilitation of victims of trafficking. “Bus stops, malls and parks have become meeting spots for pimps and customers, as we have seen in this rescue.” said Michael Yangad, Director of Operations, IJM.
They man was booked under Section 370 (trafficking of persons) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 (punishment for living on the earnings of prostitution) and Section 5 (procuring, inducing or taking persons for the sake of prostitution) of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.
The police said the man worked with a woman accomplice, who used to lure vulnerable girls into prostitution. The victims said they came into contact with the accused while working for a local catering firm. The accused made their dealings in public spaces and would make the transaction on the spot.
A police officer at Samta Nagar police station said, “Nowadays, traffickers operate through a private network. They make contacts using cell phones and spread information of girls up for trafficking through word of mouth. The girls are usually exploited at establishments in the vicinity or private residences. Small catering companies have now become well-known fronts to lure young women with false assurances of high returns.”
The police had apprehended the woman accomplice of the arrested accused. However, she could not be arrested as Section 46 (4) of the Criminal Procedure Code prohibits the arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise except in unavoidable circumstances. The woman fled from the police station and is now an absconding accused.
