Minor Bangladeshi girl rescued from prostitution ring in Gujarat, 9 arrested

A shocking case of human trafficking and sexual exploitation has come to light with the rescue of a 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl from a prostitution ring. The girl, a seventh-grade student, had run away from her home country and a Bangladeshi woman had brought the girl to Kolkata. 

As per reports, she was first taken to Kolkata by a Bangladeshi woman and then flown to Mumbai by another sex trafficker. In Mumbai, she was handed over to Mohammad Khalid Abdul Bapari, a 33-year-old Bangladeshi national, who allegedly kept her in Navi Mumbai where she was first raped. When she resisted, she was reportedly beaten and burned.

Later she was moved to Nadiad, Gujarat, where she was allegedly handed over to human traffickers Preetiben Mohida (37) and Niket Patel (35). 

According to police, she was forced into prostitution and allegedly raped by at least 200 men in just three months in Gujarat. The traffickers reportedly charged clients between ₹5,000 and ₹15,000, but the girl received only ₹500 from each transaction. She was held with false promises of being sent back home.

The girl’s rescue came after she was brought to Naigaon, Maharashtra. A tip-off from a social organisation led the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit to raid a flat and rescue her. Police have so far arrested nine people in connection with the case, including four Bangladeshi nationals and two individuals from Gujarat. A thorough investigation is underway, and police have stated that the girl’s father has been contacted to facilitate her return to Bangladesh.

Arrested accused

Bangladeshi nationals: Mohammad Khalid Abdul Bapari (33), Zubair Sheikh (38), Shamim Sardar (39), and Rubi Bapari (21).

Virar, Mumbai residents: Ujjwal Kundu (35) and Parveen Kundu (32).

Nadiad, Gujarat residents: Preetiben Mohida (37) and Niket Patel (35).

Ahilyanagar resident: Sohel Sheikh (23).