Hyderabad: A young woman from Bangladesh escaped a prostitution racket in Hyderabad on Saturday and went straight to the police. Bandlaguda officers rescued her and arrested three suspects.
Investigators identified the victim as Ruha from Dhaka. She worked in saree designing. A woman from her neighbourhood befriended her on her way to school, praising her looks and promising a better life in India. She told the victim not to inform her family and to say she was travelling with a friend.
Smuggled into India and sold
In February, the traffickers took her across a river by boat into India, then to Kolkata, and later by train to Hyderabad. They handed her to Shahnaz in Mehdipatnam, who claimed she was her daughter.
Soon after, Sameer took her to Hazira’s house in Ismail Nagar. Hazira told her she had been brought for sex work and threatened to report her for illegal entry if she refused. Fearing arrest, the victim obeyed. Hazira and Shahnaz sent her to hotels for prostitution.
Escape and arrests
On Saturday morning, Sameer was taking her by auto to a hotel when she saw a police station signboard. After he dropped her at the hotel and went to park, she fled to Bandlaguda police station.
Police arrested Hazira Begum, Shahnaz Fatima and Mohammad Sameer. Ruha’s trafficker and her associate Sarwar remain on the run. Officers also rescued other women trafficked from West Bengal. Southeast Zone police said the investigation is continuing.
