Our team in India received a tip about a young girl who was being trafficked at a hotel-based brothel in western India. Upon investigation, The Exodus Road operatives found that, indeed, a very young-looking 15-year-old girl from Bangladesh was being trafficked and sold for sex. She bravely told our investigators that she had been kidnapped and the trafficker had threatened to kill her if she told the truth to police.
As our team worked with local law enforcement to set up a rescue operation for the girl, they quickly realized this girl was not alone. She was caught in a much bigger international trafficking operation.
After significant planning, a team of more than 40 officers conducted joint raids on more than five brothels simultaneously. This rescue was a highly coordinated effort to take down an international trafficking ring and involved coordination with dozens of Indian agencies.
The raids were successful, resulting in freedom of more than a dozen young women,* in addition to the young Bangladeshi girl.
As a result of the raids, all the survivors are now receiving care at a government safe house and the 18 traffickers are in jail. If convicted, the traffickers will serve many years in prison.
*The work of supporting law enforcement to unravel criminal gangs is extremely dangerous. For this reason, we are not stating exact numbers.
ByBecky GiovagnoniJune 29, 2023 the exodus road
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