11 Bangladeshi ‘victims’ of flesh trade escape high-security Pune shelter home after attacking staffer

Thirteen Bangladeshi women residing at a shelter home in Pune’s Mohammadwadi escaped after attacking a woman staffer, gagging and tying her hands and legs.

The police immediately apprehended two of them, while a search continues at various locations in Mumbai and Pune to nab the remaining 11 inmates, said Mansingh Patil, senior police inspector.

The incident took place at the Shelter Home of Rescue Foundation around 7 pm on March 23; however, a case was registered on Friday at the Kalepadal police station.

“Initially, our focus was to search for the women and get them back to the Shelter Home, as they are victims of the flesh trade. Finally, the FIR was lodged against the women who are seen attacking the Shelter Home staffer in the CCTV footage,” Patil said.

The shelter home has 42 inmates, all of whom were rescued in flesh trade cases registered under the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA) at different police stations in Pune city and Pune rural, over the last two years, the police said.

The police said that, as per the CCTV footage, four women are seen attacking the staffer. “After receiving information, our team rushed to the spot and launched a search. We nabbed two women within some time,” said Patil.

There is a three-tier security arrangement and a big compound wall at the Shelter Home; still, the women managed to escape,” said Patil.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajkumar Shinde said the women have been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 127 (1) (wrongful confinement), 115 (1) (Voluntarily causing hurt), 351 (1), and 3 (5).