A 17-year-old Dalit girl from rural Thiruvananthapuram is the latest known victim of a long-running commercial sex racket which arranged minors for rich clients for a high fee.
J. K. Dinil, DySP, Nedumangad, who busted the network on Sunday, said so far five people, including two women, have been arrested in connection with the organised felony, which involved kidnapping, rape, procurement, human trafficking and crimes under the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The police were in possession of the network’s client list, mostly mobile numbers, and more arrests were likely. Mr. Dinil said there could be more victims.
The racketeers had lured the girl into the lucrative sex trade in 2015 by promising her a sure escape from the daily deprivations of her impoverished household. She was peddled to scores of clients during the period.
The school dropout lived with her widowed mother in a lean-to. She came under the influence of a neighbouring woman who offered the impressionable minor a stylish life as an escort for rich men and a sure path to the entertainment industry.
The racketeers themselves, including a 64-year-old professional driver who transported the girl from one private premise to another, had themselves raped her several times.
The case came to light last week when the girl turned up at the local police station, allegedly at the instance of the accused, and stated that she was impregnated by a youth who reneged on his promise to marry her.
The police found the girl highly traumatised and her initial account unbelievable. She was counselled for days after which she opened up to a magistrate, who recorded her sworn statement in camera.
Investigators said they were shocked to learn on certain days the girl, the family’s only breadwinner, was forced to receive several clients and her fee was a mere ₹250. The mother was seldom aware of her daughter’s whereabouts. The future of the child rape survivor, who is temporarily in protective custody, hangs in balance. The court was unlikely to sanction the termination of her advanced pregnancy.