Representative image.
Credit: DH illustration
Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Bengaluru police, in a joint operation with city-based NGOs, rescued 11 minor girls allegedly forced into prostitution in the last five months.
Between May 21 and October 15, 11 places were raided and the minor girls, aged between 15 and 17, were rescued. Three of the rescued were suspected to be from Bangladesh and will be deported.
"Two others from Karnataka, one each from Tripura, Maharashtra, Punjab and three from West Bengal, were among the rescued," Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said on Tuesday.
Police also arrested 26 suspected pimps and filed cases against them and five customers for soliciting prostitution.
The arrested are currently in judicial custody. They are booked under multiple sections of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
The rescued victims have been sent to rehabilitation centres and their psychological assessment and treatment are underway.
Police suspect that some were trafficked with their parent’s consent, while others were coerced. "Investigations are underway,” Dayananda said.