On 1st May 2025, we received intel about a minor victim being forced into prostitution by two female brothel keepers in the red light area in Ganga Jamuna, Nagpur. We faced a few challenges when we tried to locate the victim. On 8th May we were able to locate her and get sufficient evidence of her being exploited.
We met the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, and presented him with the evidence. After examining the evidence, the DCP agreed to initiate a raid.
On 9th May, though the police and our team were ready, we faced a new set of challenges. We were not able to locate the victim at the brothel. We spent most of the day waiting for the victim. At 9:30 pm, we finally saw the victim. Before we could take any action, a member from the police team broke protocol and reached out to the victim and brothel keepers. Within a few minutes of him making contact, the brothel went on alert, both the brothel keepers escaped and the victim locked herself inside the brothel.
The police managed to get the victim to come out of the brothel after which we all proceeded to the police station. Since Raveena, the victim, did not have any official documentation stating she was a minor, the police booked her as an accused. Our liaison officer took a large part of the 9th evening and early hours of the 10th morning to get the police to record Raveena as a victim and not an accused but the police did not change the FIR. They even went one step further and escorted Raveena back to her house in the red light area, despite us protesting that she was a minor and needed to be placed in a shelter home for her protection. They cited -unable to keep her overnight as the reason for releasing her that night.
The next morning we met the DCP and gave him a full report on the intervention. The DCP acknowledged the lapses and asked the police in the Lakadganj Police Station to rectify the situation.
The Lakadganj Police ordered Raveena to be placed in a shelter home in Nagpur. On 13th May Raveena was produced at the Sessions Court in Nagpur. Since Raveena didn’t have any official documentation stating she was a minor and since the police had booked her as an accused, the court ordered Raveena to be released back to her home in the red light area.
On 29th May through our sources we were able to get Raveena’s school records and other official documentation – both stated that Raveena was 14 years and three months old. We also learned that Raveena was part of the Kanjar community and her mother was involved in her being sexually exploited.
Raveena is back in prostitution. This time we are hoping to get the Superintendent of Police, Nagpur, to assign a team to rescue her. Armed with all her documents, we will ensure a First Information Report is filed with all the relevant sections of law attached to it and that this 14 year old child is placed in a shelter home away from her family who is a direct threat to her safety and wellbeing.
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