Police have dismantled a prostitution racket targeting unemployed women who are being promised jobs in a large-scale attempt to eradicate human trafficking in Raichur district.
The operation was conducted within the Manvi taluk area, where authorities in the area said 11 people, including a suspected kingpin, have been arrested. The racket, police said, is being handled out of farmlands on the outskirts of Hirekotnekal village.
A group of people at the local police station carried out a surprise raid using trusted intelligence and found illegal practices, including prostitution and human trafficking. Tayappa, the main suspect, lives in Indiranagar in Manvi. Officials say he is behind the operation, and then he orders it all from there.
Tayappa is accused of having preyed on vulnerable, unemployed women from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka (as noted, especially under the Belagavi region), and Maharashtra. Allegedly, the accused lured them with promises of well-paid employment. They were allegedly recruited and forced to be prostitutes after arrival.
There was also a remote setup of the farmland, which meant operations that were not dependent on suspicion in the vicinity would be easier. Other accused, Amaresh, Huseinappa, Prakash, Adesh, Vijaykumar, Sharanabasava and Mallikarjun were arrested during the raid. Police arrested a total of 11 individuals related to the illegal activities.
Suspected victims of this racket, two of the women, were rescued during the ring's run. They obtained police protection and were admitted to a rehabilitation and therapy centre, where they received support and assistance. Meanwhile, a case is lodged at the Manvi police station, and investigations are underway.
Officials said they were questioning the accused to find out more about the network and whether it was linked to other trafficking operations that extend across state lines. Such instances raise serious doubts that human trafficking might be posing as job fraud. They target victims and include women in search of work.
You are warned to be wary and to find any job offers you come across before facing unlicensed recruiters. And to eradicate this racket, fast intelligence work and swift police action are essential. “Strict” action will be imposed against those involved, and similar networks in the wider region will be destroyed, they said.
