A 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl has informed police that she was abused by over 200 men across a three-month period before being rescued from a prostitution network in Naigaon, near Vasai, Maharashtra. 

She was rescued on July 26 during a planned operation by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Mira-Bhayander Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police. The operation was carried out with support from NGOs Exodus Road India Foundation and Harmony Foundation.

So far, police have arrested 10 suspects in connection with the case.

Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik said the MBVV police are determined to bring everyone involved to justice.

“The MBVV police are using all its strength to expose the whole network and ensure a safe environment for vulnerable teenagers,” he said.

Investigators are now tracking down others linked to the trafficking ring, including those suspected of exploiting the minor.

Social activist Madhu Shankar said such cases are happening regularly in different parts of the city.

“I have often seen minor girls begging in the Vashi and Belapur areas, often stolen from villages as children, brought to cities, and then exploited. They are managed by one or two older women who also push them into prostitution. They are also given hormonal injections so that they mature quickly,” Shankar said.

According to activists, many victims are trafficked from rural areas or across borders and then forced into begging or the sex trade by organized gangs.

Police have confirmed that the case is far from over and that more arrests could follow as they uncover the full scale of the trafficking network.