A 14-year-old girl from Bangladesh, rescued from a sex trafficking ring in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, has shared a harrowing account of her ordeal. She alleges that over 200 men sexually assaulted her in the span of three months, during which she was subjected to extreme cruelty, including sedatives and hormonal injections to induce early puberty, and branding with a hot spoon to enforce compliance, according to police reports.
The girl, whose statement is under verification, was saved on July 26 through a joint operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar Police, alongside NGOs Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation. The raid targeted a flat in Naigaon, Vasai, leading to the arrest of 10 individuals, six of whom are Bangladeshi nationals. Among those detained are three of the five victims, including the girl, who were allegedly trafficked across multiple locations, including Navi Mumbai, Pune, and regions in Gujarat and Karnataka.
According to a police official, the girl revealed she was first trafficked to Nadiad in Gujarat, where the abuse began. Her journey into this nightmare started after she ran away from home in Bangladesh, distressed over failing a school subject. A woman known to her facilitated her illegal crossing into India, only to force her into the sex trade, as reported by Harmony Foundation president Abraham Mathai.
The investigation continues as authorities work to verify the girl’s statement and uncover the full extent of the trafficking network.
