Gang held for trying to force minor girls into flesh trade

The Thane Crime Branch has arrested a group that allegedly brought three girls aged five to seven years to sell them as commercial sex workers or for illegal adoption.

Hundreds of girls are being kidnapped from across the country and sold into prostitution. Police officers said arrest of the accused in this case will be a good lead to find out and trace the real business leader.

The Thane Crime Branch unit four received a tip-off about an accused Shabunal Mali, who kept three girls in his flat at Kalyan. The three girls were of the ages six, seven and five years. DCP Prag Manere said, “The accused kidnapped these girls from different areas of Bhiwandi and kept them in his house for the past six years. We got a tip-off about the same and laid a trap on January 19 night. We rescued the girls and arrested the accused from the spot.”

According to the accused, these girls are children of prostitutes and were born out of illicit relationship. “This group brought these children by telling their mothers they would keep them in a shelter home or NGO. This time, they brought these girls immediately after they were born and told their mothers their children were born dead. They actually sell girls into prostitution and boys into illegal adoption. It has been going on for the past many years. There are so many groups in Mumbai who are doing this business. We are able to trace them with the help of anti-human trafficking cell. We are finding out more details about their racket and groups all over Maharashtra,” said officials.