About 15 years ago, a member of the Child Welfare Committee, Bundi, Rajasthan, allegedly bought an infant girl from a multi-state child trafficking network which he was a member of and sold her to notorious brothel keeper Serina for a measly Rs 50,000. Unknown to the infant, she was already set aside for a life of commercial sexual exploitation in Nagpur’s red light area, Ganga Jamuna. A decision taken before she could even walk or talk!
Over the years as the infant grew, she was groomed in the dark alleys of Ganga Jamuna. An area we were familiar with as we walked the same dark alleys countless times and rescued 100s of children , minors and women from sexual exploitation. While many of them were from different parts of Maharashtra, a majority of children and traffickers were natives of Eastern Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Rajasthan.
Early February 2026, our team travelled to Bundi, Rajasthan. We learned about a child who was being exploited in one of the many brothels in Bundi. After verifying the information the police committed to initiate the raid. The rescue operation failed. We were first hand witnesses of the corruption within the police force. Members from the police team tipped off the brothel of the impending raid. The brothel was shut down and there was no sign of the child. A very discouraging turn of events as it meant the victim would continue to get exploited and three weeks of time and effort that went in planning the rescue operation were wasted.
When 15 year-old Rumana was finally rescued on 26th March 2026, the police authorities right from the most senior to junior refused to file a First Information Report. We quickly realized we needed unified action to get Rumana justice. We began advocacy before the apex child protection agency in the country, The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in Delhi. While we were waiting for permission orders we learned that the presiding member of the Child Welfare Committee was in all probability the same man who sold Rumana when she was an infant to a brothel keeper. Thanks to his high level political influence and connections, he conveniently escaped during the rescue operation. While we were collecting information, another shocking discovery, his own biological son had been exploiting Rumana in the brothel for over two years, (Rumana was just 13 years old then. When she had irregular menses for over a month, he continued to rape her. All these details Rumana shared with the Child Welfare Committee and our team much later.)
For over 15 years we kept hearing about his predatory acts. With Rumana’s rescue, we realised we barely uncovered the tip of the iceberg.
We salute the lady chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee in Bundi, Rajasthan, who took a courageous step and filed a First Information Report against her colleague. We salute our team from different regions, despite police pressure, the accused’s connections and influence, ensured 15 year old Rumana was rescued and placed in a protective home.
For us at Freedom Firm, we are encouraged and motivated as this signifies a positive step toward fighting for justice on behalf of this child and the other victims of sex trafficking.
Would you consider strengthening our efforts for Rescue, Restoration, and Justice for the least of these amid these sometimes silent heart-rending shrieks?
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