KOCHI: The Kochi city police on Friday arrested three individuals, including two women, for operating a sex racket using a Bangladeshi woman in Elamakkara, Kochi. The suspects, identified as Sareena, 34, from Bengaluru, Jagitha, 40, from Thiruvananthapuram, and Vibin Glory, 28, from Varappuzha, were apprehended by Elamakkara police.
According to a police source, the racket had allegedly forced the 20-year-old Bangladeshi woman into prostitution and presented her to more than 20 people in Kochi.
“The sex racket was uncovered, and the suspects were apprehended following a missing person complaint filed by the suspects themselves. They have been charged with serious offenses, arrested, brought before the court, and remanded to police custody,” said the officer. He also added that the victim had been moved to a police shelter.
Unwinding the whole incident, Elamakkara SHO Harikrishnan K B said, the victim, who hails from Dhaka, Bangladesh, lost her parents at the age of 12.
Facing severe poverty and various other hardships, she was persuaded by some relatives to illegally cross the border into India through Kolkata. Afterward, she made her way to Bengaluru, where she lived for several years. During this five to eight-year period, she developed a connection with a local woman. This woman introduced the victim to Sareena, a member of a sex racket. Following that, the victim arrived in Kochi, accompanied by Sareena on September 10.
“A dispute between the victim and the members of the racket led them to file a kidnapping complaint through the police helpline number 112. This initial complaint triggered the investigation that ultimately uncovered the sex racket,” said Harikrishnan.
During the interrogation, the victim revealed that she had a sister in Dhaka and no other living family members,” the officer added.
Commenting on the arrest, Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya said, “At the time of arrest, she did not have any legal documents in her possession, indicating that she had been staying illegally in India for many years. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean she never had any documents. We have approached the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) for further details.”
victim driven by poverty, hardship
The victim, who hails from Dhaka, Bangladesh faced severe poverty and various other hardships, she was persuaded by some relatives to illegally cross the border into India through Kolkata
She made her way to Bengaluru, where she lived for several years. During this five to eight-year period, she developed a connection with a local woman who introduced the victim to Sareena, a member of a sex racket