In mid-July 2024, we received a lead about a minor girl being sexually exploited in a Bidhannagar spa. After verifying the lead on July 17, we alerted the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), who said a police team would be ready to initiate a raid the next day.
On the 18th, the ACP delayed the raid and said they were waiting for permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). The DCP requested the name of the spa, but we refused to disclose it to avoid leaking information and tipping off the spa. The DCP then denied permission, saying it was due to an internal issue. The ACP asked us to meet them at the Women’s Police Station.
At the station, the ACP requested details about the spa and asked for our office address. We declined to share due to the sensitive nature of our job. The ACP refused to continue helping us. We left and sent her our brochure and annual report via WhatsApp. On July 19, the ACP requested our office address again via a WhatsApp message, but we did not disclose this. We then consulted the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), who advised us to let the police handle the raid. He said a previous negative situation with another NGO led to them having to appear before a judge, so he was hesitant to work with us.
We contacted the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBSCPCR) and scheduled a meeting for July 22. After reviewing the case, the WBSCPCR Chairperson agreed to proceed with the rescue and planned a raid for the 25th.
On July 25, at 4:30 p.m., the police and our team raided the brothel. The police detained a female receptionist, and we found Kashika with a customer in another room. We found two other women working at the spa. The police collected evidence, including money and mobile phones, then we proceeded to the police station with Kashika, the other two women, and the receptionist.
At the police station, the police were reluctant to file a report after realizing they were dealing with an Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (ITPA) case. They had not followed the proper protocols.
Kashika was called to the office of the Inspector in Charge (IC) and shared her story. She said she was 17, a single mother, and the owner of the spa had hired her because she was young. Kashika had two Aadhar cards listing different ages, one with her real birthday and the other with a fictional, older date of birth, which she used to attend nightclubs.
We came to learn that the owner of this spa ran other spas in the city, one of which was raided in February 2024. The owner had paid the police to let them continue illegal spa activities.
The police listened to Kashika and still refused to file a case. Our advocate arrived and spoke to the IC, who still refused to record Kashika’s statement or file the First Information Report. The IC warned us that if Kashika changed her statement, we would face consequences. Sensing he was unwilling to cooperate, we drafted an email to the IC in the Baguiati Police Station, the Commissioner of Police of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate, and the WBSCPCR and Child Welfare Committee (CWC), with a detailed report of the case.
While drafting the email, the IC called us back into his office and agreed to file a case under Section 95 of Bhartiya Naya Sanhita. Kashika was asked the same questions, but this time she changed her story; she said she was hired as a masseuse and that although she knew other masseuses who offered sex to customers, she never engaged in sex with any customers herself.
We asked the IC to allow us to speak with Kashika alone. We asked Kashika why she was doing this, and she said she gave a false statement earlier because she felt pressured by us. Since Kashika refused to share her original statement, the IC ordered her to attend a general medical checkup, then placed her in a shelter home.
On July 26, we updated the WBSCPCR and the CWC. The CWC asked us to meet them along with Kashika later that day.
At 3:00 p.m., we waited at the CWCs office, and the police brought Kashika to the office a little later. Once again, Kashika lied and said she was a masseuse at the parlor but never engaged in sex with customers. The CWC passed an order for her to be placed in a shelter home for 30 days and granted us permission to counsel Kashika at the shelter home.
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