In perhaps the first-ever case of conviction under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act, 1956 in the recent past, the City Fast Track (Sessions) Court on Wednesday convicted five accused, including a middle-aged woman, who is the prime accused – for trafficking nine young women for the purpose of prostitution. The accused – Anju Singh alias Mariya Singh (50), Muskan Roy (28), Devagan Roy (20), Krishna (27) from West Bengal, and Rakesh (37) from Bengaluru – have been sentenced to seven-year imprisonment with a fine after the court convicted them under Sections 4, 5 and 9 of the ITP Act for trafficking innocent women for prostitution.
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of city police with the help of some local voluntary organisations on July 1, 2011 had rescued these nine women – in the age group of 19 and 21 years from West Bengal and Sikkim – from a house in Ejipura, Vivekanagar. The police had arrested the five accused for allegedly trafficking the women and forcing them into flesh trade. A case was registered in the Vivekanagar police station.
The convicts had brought the victims to Bengaluru with a false promise of getting them jobs. They forced them into flesh trade and reportedly charged a commission of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 from their clients. “It was a difficult case as the prime witness had turned hostile. One victim, with the support of an NGO – ‘Justice and Care’ – had testified against the accused and narrated her story before the court. The investigating officers had also put together a strong case,” said an official source.