On August 31, 2024, we learned about a minor girl who was trapped in forced prostitution at a guest house in South Kolkata. We immediately notified the police. The Officer in Charge asked us to meet him at the Kolkata Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU). We met him there, and shared details about the case. The officer told us that all their police personnel were attending to a civil unrest matter after the brutal rape and murder of a young female doctor in Kolkata.
He asked us to gather further information, including how long the victim had been sexually exploited. He advised us that this information could protect our team in the event the victim accuses Freedom Firm of coercing her. (Apparently the AHTU had faced such issues in another rescue.) The officer advised us to supply these details by Monday, September 2, after which we could meet again to finalize a rescue operation.
On September 2, the officer called us and said the situation was tense, and the police were still working around the clock to maintain law and order; they were unable to assist with a raid.
We called the officer several times over the following days and asked him to initiate a raid with us. He said the situation was too volatile, and a raid was not possible.
On September 5, we called the officer again, and insisted that although the situation might continue to remain tense, the victim needed to be rescued immediately. He agreed to speak to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and get back to us that evening.
When the officer called us, he told us that the ACP said they had no police personnel available to initiate a raid, but would assess the situation and try again on Monday, September 9.
On September 6, we returned to the AHTU and asked them to initiate a raid before the 9th. We knew that the longer we waited, the less likely we were to find the minor victim because victims are frequently moved and information about our plans could be leaked. The ACP met us and said September 12 was the earliest they could initiate a raid.
On September 12, at 4:08 p.m., the police and our team raided the guest house. At the reception, the police arrested a 31-year-old male manager and a 42-year-old male staff member. They checked the other rooms and found the victim, Kaya, on the 4th floor. While we waited for the police to complete their post-rescue operations, Kaya told us that the police had rescued her in December, 2023 and she was placed in a shelter home in Kolkata. But at the end of January 2024, she was restored home.
After the police filed the First Information Report, we accompanied 15-year-old Kaya to her medical tests. On September 13, we accompanied Kaya to the shelter home as per the Child Welfare Committee’s orders.
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