On 13th August 2026, we received information from our partner organisation in Bangladesh about 25 year old Fahila, a Bangladeshi woman, who was trafficked to India. A little later that day we learned Fahila was trafficked to Chennai.
We were able to get her location from a source. The source shared that Fahila was going to be moved from her current location and sent to a brothel. After making plans we left for Chennai.
The next day, 14th August, we met the Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Sholinganallur. We shared the information we had with the DCP. He directed us to meet the Inspector of Chithalapakkam Police Station.
While we were planning the rescue operation we got intel there was movement outside the building. We told the police that Fahila was on the move. As soon as we reached the location we saw a young woman who matched Fahila’s description, a woman and a man. They got into a waiting autorickshaw and left.
We followed the autorickshaw and shared the location and number plate with the Inspector we had earlier interacted with. He immediately arranged a police team.
We continued following the autorickshaw but lost them in traffic. We now had to rely on the police tracking the autorickshaw’s number plate. After 30 minutes we got a call from our source and our partner organisation. As soon as the autorickshaw stopped, Fahila got down and ran to a traffic police officer. When the man and woman travelling with Fahila saw her talking to the officer, they fled the scene. Later we learned the man was a brothel keeper and the woman was a trafficker. The traffic officer wasn’t able to understand the language (Bangla) so he took Fahila to a police booth nearby.
We called the police team and informed them about the new development. They said since it was outside their jurisdiction and the victim was now safe, they couldn’t do anything. They asked us to meet Fahila and ensure she was placed in a shelter home. They would register a case the next day.
We took permission from the police who were at the booth and spoke to Fahila. She told us that there were other girls and women who were being held at the same location where she was first being held.
Fahila was placed at a women’s shelter home.
For a few days no action was taken by the police. They refused to file a First Information Report stating that since there was no raid and since the victim was found in another jurisdiction they couldn’t file any report. The traffic police also stated that they couldn’t file any official report either.
On 18th August an inspector from the Anti-Vice Squad, AVS, visited Fahila in the shelter home and recorded her statement.
On 19th August the AVS informed us that they would not file any FIR as there was an FIR filed in Bangladesh. They said they would deport Fahila back to Bangladesh.
On 19th August at 10:30 pm the police acted on the earlier information shared by Fahila and raided the location where the other victims were being held. They rescued 6 victims, all Bangladeshi nationals. The youngest was a 15 year old child. They arrested five people, all Bangladeshi nationals; three individuals were involved in exploiting the victims, a female trafficker who trafficked Fahila from Bangladesh and an agent (male) who was housing the victims and sending them to different customers.
On 20th August the AVS filed the First information Report (FIR). Fahila along with the 6 victims and female accused were all kept together in the same room at the police station for two days.
On 21st August they were produced before the Magistrate. The Magistrate passed an order to place them in different protective homes. The child was placed in a government children’s home and Fahila along with the other five women were placed in a protective home for women in Chennai.
A few days after her rescue, Fahila discovered she was pregnant. She was admitted to the hospital on the 1st September. On 4th September we got the sad news that Fahila had miscarried. She remained in the hospital till 10th September after which she was sent back to the protective home.
On the legal front
On 29th August the AVS informed us that the female kingpin, Ranga, who was behind the trafficking racket was arrested in West Bengal at immigration. The AVS requested our assistance to bring Ranga to Chennai and act as a translator and guide since they were unfamiliar with the location and language. Ranga was taken back to Chennai and the next day was produced in front of the court where the Magistrate ordered the police to take her into custody.
On 3rd September, Ranga’s lawyer applied for bail. The Magistrate denied Ranga’s bail.
On 8th September we submitted a petition in court to meet with Fahila. Though reluctant, the Magistrate fixed the court date for 10th September.
The five women (except the child and Fahiya who was still in the hospital) were present in court. There was a language issue, the victims only understood Bangla. The court did not have any Bangla translator. A Hindi translator stepped forward to offer his services.
The Hindi translator (who we learned later was the accused’s lawyer) intimidated the victims. He told them to change their statements, they should tell the Magistrate that they are from West Bengal. They should accept responsibility for their mistakes and if they did not listen to him, they would continue to remain in India for three to four years.
Our advocate and Inspector immediately intervened and spoke to the Magistrate. The Magistrate stated that she did not understand either of the languages (Hindi or Bangla) and therefore had no way of knowing what was being communicated to the victims. She directed that the girls’ statements be recorded in the language they understood and subsequently translated into English.
The Magistrate also asked whether we would be representing the other victims. We confirmed that we were. We were then advised to submit a similar petition through which we could record their statements and translate them.
Our advocate advised against undertaking the translation as we were persons of interest in the case. He suggested hiring an independent person to record and translate the victims’ statements on their behalf, so that the process remains impartial.
On 10th September we placed a petition before the Magistrate requesting permission to meet the other 5 major victims. The Magistrate granted us permission.
This morning, 11th September, we met Fahila and the other victims at the protective homes and counselled them. The victims were visibly upset. They were scared and shared whenever they were produced in court, some people (from the accused side) intimidated them and asked them to change their statements. They were terrified that their families would find out that they were forced into prostitution and Ranga who had brought them to India (on the pretext of jobs) had paid large sums of money to get them into India. If they wanted to return back to Bangladesh, they had to first pay her back.
Each victim had a story which we will share in detail later. Right now they are safe and we are working towards getting them repatriated and reunited with their families.
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