Wednesday, January 26, 2011
17 of 57 girls cops rescued from brothels escape, only 12 confirmed minor so far
Two weeks after the city police claimed to have “rescued” 57 minor girls from the Budhwar Peth red light area, 17 of them disappeared from the Mother Teresa Rescue Home at Wanavdi where they were kept following court orders. The police, however, claim they have caught six of them and sent them back to the rescue home. Sex workers, meanwhile, alleged that only “beautiful girls” were always picked up from brothels and their fate remains unknown then.
“A search is on for the remaning girls,” said DCP Dnyaneshwar Phadtare Tuesday, blaming the poor security at rescue homes. “It required a lot of effort to rescue the girls who had turned violent and abusive. The girls managed to escape from the home owing to inadequate security,” Phadtare said, adding that they have now provided security to the rescue home.
The police had raided the brothels on January 14, amidst high drama. They had maintained that they were acting on reports about minor girls being forced into prostitution. Seven brothel-keepers were also arrested. Around 150 policemen, including a DCP, two ACPs, three inspectors, 10 sub inspectors and 30 constables, took part in the operation.
Besides the escape act, the rescue operation has also turned into an embarrassment of sorts for the police as only 12 of 57 girls have been confirmed minor. “The medical report of 10 more girls is awaited and then we will get the complete picture. So far, 12 of the girls have been confirmed minor,” inspector Venkat Gangalwad said.
Meena, who calls herself a former sex worker helping the CSWs, said the police normally picked up only beautiful girls during their raids who then allegedly run away from their clutches. “If it is a rescue operation, why only beautiful girls are picked up?” she asked.
Seema Waghmode of NGP Kayakalp said the raid should be meant for rescuing girls from forced prostitution. “But during this operation, fewer minors were picked up.” The police, however, rubbished all allegations. Kavita Saxena of Rescue Foundation, an NGO which had assisted the police in the rescue operation, justified the police action. “Whether a girl is 17-year-old or 18-year-old, it is difficult to identity them so the police pick up all the suspected minors.”
Saxena said 20 of the rescued girls were with her foundation. “We will ensure that they are sent back to their homes.”
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