SC-ST women rescued from human trafficking ring

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda on Tuesday explained how a routine raid on illegally operating spa in the city uncovered a shocking revelation.

"In a case of human trafficking, our police team rescued several women who were forced into a flesh trade on the pretext of spa services in the city. Among the women rescued, a few were found to be belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes," Dayananda said.

The police said that these victims were lured into the racket with a promise of high-paying jobs.

"We have invoked the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, apart from other laws meant to tackle human trafficking in the case," he added.

The city police have been cracking a whip on the illegal spas that had mushroomed across the city and employed women therapists from different parts of the country and also women from neighboring countries often forcing them into flesh trade.

Since January, the police have booked 21 cases and rescued 118 women from flesh trade. Apart from this, 39 people have been booked for various violations, the city top cop said.

Among these 21 cases, the Whitefield division has reported the highest number of cases, five, in which 22 women were rescued and 11 persons arrested.

The Whitefield division had a large number of illegal spas which were under the radar of the police and the CCB.

It may be recalled that on January 9, the women protection wing (WPW) of the CCB raided Nirvana International Spa at Mahadevapura’s Pai Layout, rescuing 40 women from Thailand, Delhi, and other regions.