Minor girl returns home from brothel after a year; Pune police clueless

Minor girl returns home from brothel after a year; Pune police clueless

Pune: Just like blockbuster Hollywood movie Taken, a father’s tireless pursuit to find his trafficked daughter bore fruit when he was united with his 7-year-old daughter recently after a year. But the gruesomeness of the case came forward when his wife admitted that she had facilitated the trafficking for money.

The ghastliness doesn’t end here. The height of inefficiency and lack of empathy of Pune police is evident from the fact that when the father located his daughter in Budhwar Peth red light area last July, he had tried to rescue her but was beaten up by the pimps. When, like any normal person, he approached the police, he was threatened up to be beaten again. However, after approaching them again a month later, he was asked to come back later as the Ganpati festival was being celebrated and the police were busy.

Sakal Times had reported the report ‘Man finds wife and daughter trafficked to Pune’s brothel, police turn a blind eye’ on September 11, 2017.

On May 12, when Uike came to know that his daughter and wife is at the place of her in-laws at Murtizapur taluka of Akola, he was in seventh heaven and went along with his friend to get them back to his home in Daryapur taluka of Amravati. To his surprise, when they came back, his wife asked him to return and only after the intervention of a local lawyer Sameer Ghaniwala and police, it was discovered that the woman along with one of her male friend had gone to Budhwar Peth to sell her daughter for Rs 50,000. 

The woman got involved in prostitution and kept her daughter at the brothel. She made a deal of Rs 50,000 to sell her daughter when she completed 11 years. 

Sameer Ghaniwala, a Daryapur-based lawyer who in the past helped Uike to search for his daughter and wife, said, “The woman kept her daughter in the brothel so that she can get her acclimatised to the surroundings  there. She started working as a commercial sex worker and made the deal with brothel owners to sell her daughter into prostitution.”

Uike said, “I am happy as well as sad. I am happy that I have got my daughter back but I have never thought even in my dreams that my wife will sell our daughter to a brothel owner. I agree that she had a problem with my drinking habits but she could have punished me for that but selling our only daughter to a brothel was unacceptable.”

“I have admitted her to a school now and hope that everything will go smoothly now,” added Uike 

Shiny Padiyara of Rescue Foundation, said, “ It is fortunate that the girl is back with her father. Otherwise, despite informing police, she remained untraceable.”

Uike’s wife came to Budhwar Peth with the help of Yogesh Ingle and his sister Babita Ingle. Both of them have been involved in trafficking girls from Vidarbha to Mumbai and Pune. Babita has stayed in Budhwar Peth and belongs to Daryapur village.

It is significant to note that Uike’s wife along with her daughter left the house at Daryapur over an argument between the couple over Uike’s drinking habit in June. Uike was under the impression that she had gone to a relative’s place but when her wife didn’t come back home after 4-5 days, he started searching for her and enquired with relatives and friends.

After one and half month, Uike was informed that his wife and daughter have been trafficked to a brothel in Pune. Uike came to Pune and spotted his daughter outside a brothel in Budhwar Peth. He went there posing as a customer for a week and spotted his daughter at a brothel. However, when he was trying to take his daughter with him, he was assaulted by a group of 7-8 men who took him to the brothel owner. 

The brothel owner who identified herself as Chhaya asked him to leave the premises as his daughter had already been sold by his wife to the brothel owner.

Uike at that time thought that brothel owner was making up a story and went to Shukrawar Peth police chowki to register the complaint but was asked to leave. He was told by the constable to leave or else he will be beaten up again.

Uike went back to his village and returned to Pune in the last week of August to continue his search but was not able to spot his daughter or wife at that time. He again approached the police and went to Faraskhana police station but to his surprise, he was told by the cops that they were busy with preparations of Ganesh festival and he should come later.

Later, Uike with the help of lawyer Sameer Dhaniwala contacted Chetna Mahila Vikas Kendra in Pune, who then approached Rescue Foundation for help. Rescue Foundation then approached Faraskhana police on September 9, 2017, who then finally registered the complaint.

However, instead of sending their men in disguise of the customer along with Uike, the Faraskhana police sent him alone to identify the brothel. The then Police Inspector of Faraskhana, Rajendra Chavan, gave an explanation that once Uike identifies his wife and daughter, then only, he will send his men to rescue them.

When Sakal Times questioned about the lackadaisical attitude of the Faraskhana police to Pune police commissioner while doing the story in September 2017, she promised to appoint a high ranking official to investigate the case, to find the family and also assured of taking action against those policemen who have not carried out their job properly. 

However, nothing of such sort happened and the girl remained in the brothel for around a year till she, fortunately, reached her home on May 12, 2018. 

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