Bangladeshi Girl ‘Trafficking’ Case In Odisha: Couple Arrested For Forcing Her Into Prostitution

Cuttack: After rescuing a minor Bangladeshi girl, Madhupatna Police in Odisha’s Cuttack city have arrested a couple for allegedly forcing her into prostitution.

Sources said the accused, identified as Veera Gujur Choudhary (55) of Rajasthan and Jasmine (36) of Keonjhar, were apprehended from their rented house in Gopalpur within Cuttack Sadar police limits. They were initially detained and formally arrested after thorough interrogation.

After examining the mobile phones and call records of the couple, the police have collected vital information and evidence related to the crime.

Investigation showed that the couple ran the racket from a rented house and police are probing  the role of the property owner.

Police are exploring possible links to other people in the network, while the statement of the victim has been recorded. Since she is a minor, her statement is strong evidence, according to Cuttack DCP Jagmohan Meena.

The 16-year-old girl had named five agents, including two women, involved in the flesh trade. She had also mentioned their addresses and contact numbers in her statement to police.

It may be noted that the Madhupatna police had rescued the victim on the night of November 9 when she was roaming in the Link Road area in Cuttack. Initially, the girl was handed over to Child Care, which informed the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

The girl was brought to Kolkata from Dhaka around August-September and then taken to Bhubaneswar. She is a Bangladeshi but has no identity proof or any travel documents. It is yet to be ascertained how she landed in Cuttack, CWC chairman Pramod Kumar Acharya told the media.

On November 23, the CWC submitted a report to the Cuttack DCP on basis of which Madhupatna Police registered a case under Sections 143(4), 144(1)/3(5) of BNS, Section 6 of the POCSO Act and Section 5 of the ITP Act. “The report revealed that the girl is around 16 years, which is being verified. It is alleged that she came here from Bangladesh on the false promise of employment. She was received by the accused here and later forced into prostitution, the DCP had said.

Further investigation is underway and multiple teams have been formed to probe the matter, which is also suspected to be a case of illegal migration. Necessary steps are being taken to inform the Bangladesh High Commission about the incident through the government, police said.