DCW sends notice to police after woman alleges trafficking

NEW DELHI:  The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the city police after a woman alleged trafficking and forced prostitution at central Delhi’s GB Road. In her complaint to the panel, the woman alleged that she escaped from GB Road to save her daughter from being pushed into prostitution.

The Delhi Police, meanwhile, maintained that it was an “old case”, adding that an FIR was already registered in the matter and the accused were arrested. The woman said she was 13 years old when she was brought to Delhi nearly 20 years ago on a false promise that she would be given a job. However, she was forced into prostitution at GB Road.

In her statement to the panel, the woman said she was rescued by police after eight-nine months and returned to her village in south India. However, she was once again abducted by the accused and forced into prostitution in Pune and Delhi.

She told the DCW that the accused monitored her activities. She also said the accused hid her and 
the other women at the brothel during raids. She further alleged that she was forced to undergo three abortions during her stay at GB Road. “She has stated that the accused persons now want to force her 9-year-old daughter into flesh trade. Fearing for her daughter’s safety, she somehow managed to escape from the clutches of her traffickers,” the DCW said in a statement.

“She has also expressed concerns for her and her daughter’s safety and feels that the accused might harm or kidnap her daughter,” it added. In the notice to the Delhi Police, DCW chief Swati Maliwal has asked whether an FIR was lodged in connection with the woman’s allegations, arrests were made and any other steps taken to ensure the safety of the complainant and her daughter.