Hyderabad: Police crack whip on traffickers

AHTU with assistance of SOTs and local police rescue around 200 victims and booked about 100 cases

Hyderabad: In one of the biggest crackdown launched in recent years against those involved in woman trafficking, the Cyberabad police had arrested around 300 suspects allegedly involved in organising prostitution and booked about 100 cases in the last seven months. The police rescued around 200 victims during the raids.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women Safety) Nitika Pant told ‘Telangana Today’ that the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) with the assistance of Special Operations Teams and the local police, is leading an operation against PITA organisers in Cyberabad.

---

“At least 25 of the suspects caught during the operations are notorious and having links with the traffickers from other States and foreign countries and had forced thousands of victims into prostitution. The operation was based on field work and technical surveillance. Special teams visited several States in the country to nab the suspects involved in the illegal activities,” she said.

The police found that the organisers were in touch with women from different States including Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Delhi, Bihar and others. The international victims are from Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.

“The organisers trapped the victims assuring high amounts of money. Flight tickets and rail tickets were arranged for them apart from hotel accommodation, food and local travel. However, the organisers earned multiple times the amount paid to the victims and exploited them,” said Nitika Pant.

The organisers were found to be forming WhatsApp groups to share pictures of the victims and bringing to the city and forcing them into prostitution. “It is a sophisticated network involving several organisers from across the country who communicate through WhatsApp regularly,” said the DCP.

The police had conducted raids on residential independent houses, apartment buildings, commercial complexes and guest houses during the operation. “Show-cause notices were issued to property owners in 47 cases and in another 29 cases, the premises including hotels, residential buildings and a spa, were also sealed,” said the DCP.

The police in their attempt to curb these illegal activities had also got removed a few websites through which the organizers were luring customers. Similarly, the police also asked the online advertisement portal companies to remove advertisements from their portals. The police invoked PD Act against more than 25 organisers.