Aizawl: Mizoram police and officials of the state Women and Child Development department, in coordination with Uttarakhand police, have recently rescued five Mizo women, including two minors, from an alleged sex trafficking racket operating under the guise of a spa business in Rudrapur in the northern state, a senior officer said on Thursday.
Six people, including the alleged mastermind and spa owner, have been arrested in connection with the case, Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) H Ramthlengliana said in a statement.
He said that the alleged sex trafficking racket surfaced when a survivor escaped and filed an FIR at the All Women Police Station in Aizawl on May 1.
The complainant alleged that she and her friend were lured to work at a salon and spa at Rudrapur in Uttarakhand with the promise of legitimate employment and a monthly salary of Rs 20,000. She said that they travelled to Uttarakhand in October last year after the spa owner arranged and financed their journey.
However, upon reaching the establishment, they were allegedly forced into prostitution and told that “extra services” for clients were mandatory in order to receive their salary. The victim alleged that they were forced to entertain three to nine customers daily and were often forced to consume alcohol and intoxicating substances before meeting their clients.
Despite being exploited, they reportedly never received the promised wages, with deductions continuously made for food, accommodation and travel expenses and were allegedly given only around Rs 500 per month for personal use, they said. The complaint further stated that whenever they attempted to leave the job, they were prevented from escaping, with the premises reportedly locked to confine them.
However, on April 4, the women managed to escape after breaking the gate lock with tools and returned to Aizawl three days later, where they filed an FIR. Following the complaint, a case was registered under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, Ramthlengliana said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Aizawl South was immediately constituted to investigate the matter, he said. Acting on information that more Mizo women were still trapped in the network, a joint team from
Mizoram Police and the Women and Child Development Department travelled to Uttarakhand on May 4 and raided the spa premises in coordination with Rudrapur police the following day, he said.
Five Mizo women, including two minors, were rescued from the facility during the raid, he said.
Ramhthlengliana also said that another case has been registered at the Rudrapur police station, and six persons, including the spa owner and the mastermind, his Mizo woman aide and another female associate, have been arrested for their involvement in the alleged trafficking and prostitution racket.
The rescued women are currently under the care of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Rudrapur, where they are receiving medical attention and trauma counselling, he said. The IGP also said that efforts are underway to repatriate the rescued women to Mizoram and that stringent legal action would be pursued against all those involved in the trafficking operation.