Mangalore: Police from Bangalore bust prostitution racket, arrest woman
Sunil Haleangady
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Apr 17: The Bangalore CoD police on Tuesday April 16 raided a house at Kulai and busted a suspected prostitution racket, wherein minors were allegedly being trafickked and pushed into the trade. One woman was arrested and five children rescued.
All the children are said to be below the age of 14, and most of them are orphans. They were being sent to various cities and towns and forced into the trade, it is learnt.
The matter first came to light when a girl from Mysore was spotted wandering around in Bangalore. 'Odanadi' self-help centre which had spotted the girl took her under its care, and during counselling, it was learnt that the girl had been forced into prostitution. The girl also revealed that a woman by name Tara at Kulai near Suratkal had pushed her into it, and that there were four other young children trapped by the woman.
Taking serious note of the revelations, Odanadi centre at once filed a complaint with the CoD. Based on the statement of the girl, the Bangalore CoD police team conducted a surprise raid on the woman's house at Kulai on Tuesday and took her into custody.
The police who interrogated the woman on the spot learnt that the children had been sent to various places in the district. The children were soon traced and rescued.
It is said that Tara would not only force minor children into flesh trade but also sell them. The children also claimed that she had the support of two personnel of Suratkal police station. The two policemen who came to the spot were even identified by the children. These policemen used to visit their house often, said the children.
A native of Malavalli, Tara had come down to Kulai a year ago and rented a house. Her husband was working in a private company in Bangalore. The girl in Bangalore who first revealed about Tara is said to be her relative. After the death of the girl's parents, Tara had taken charge of her and forced her into prostitution, sources said.
It is said that when police questioned Tara, she confronted them saying that she was nothing when compared to the wide human trafickking network in Mangalore and Udupi wherein hundreds of children were being used for prostitution.
The minors who were rescued were handed over to child welfare committee.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Parashuram, director of Odanadi self-help center said that the minor girls are now safe under the care of the child welfare committee and investigation are going on by the police to bust the prostitution network further.
It is said that Tara used to identify orphan children, adopt them and eventually used them for flesh trade. Sources said that there is a strong network in areas like Kodagu-Chamarajanagar-Mysore-Bangalore-Mangalore. It is said that she has wide network in many lodges and resorts across the city.
Tara was the president of Mahila Coolie Karmikara Sangha in Suratkal. Taking advantage of her post, she used to fool people such that no one grew suspicious about her activities.
Another person identified as Jayanna from Suratkal, who was closely associated with Tara in the prostitution racket, was arrested by police late night on Tuesday. It is learnt that he used to supply girls to various places.
A case was registered by the Suratkal police late on Tuesday night.