11 minor girls rescued from brothels in Telangana town

Eleven minor girls have been rescued from brothels in a Telangana town and eight traffickers, including six women arrested, police said today.

Acting on a tip off, a team, comprising police and officials of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) raided the brothels at Yadagirigutta in neighbouring Yadadri Bhongir district yesterday, rescued the girls, in the age group of 7 to 10, and arrested the traffickers, they said.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat told reporters that the traffickers bought the children, all from poor families, through agents, by paying them between Rs one lakh to Rs two lakh for each girl.

The girls were then sent to brothels, taken care of and kept there till puberty. During this period, a doctor hired by the traffickers used to administer hormonal injections to the children to aid their growth, the Commissioner said.

All the girls have been sent to a rescue home, Bhagwat said.

He said a case has been registered against the traffickers under IPC Sections 366A (procuration of minor girl), 372 (selling minors for purposes of prostitution), 373 (buying minors for purposes of prostitution) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and also relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.