A new Mumbai Smiles rescue operation

On December 17, our anti-trafficking team in India participated in a rescue operation together with the Nalasophara police. This is a place in the Mumbai metropolitan area.

The operation took place at a unisex beauty salon and spa in Virar West.

It all started with a complaint call to our team, after that we contacted the police to take the necessary steps that would lead us to verify the situation and rescue the maximum number of women who were being sexually exploited in the said center.

This type of operation requires a great caution and precision, which is why we define a joint plan with highly defined tasks and responsibilities. We organized two teams, one that infiltrated the center and the other that with the utmost discretion acted as testimony of the facts.

Three women united due to the despair and delusion

Ultimately, the result was the rescue of three girls and the arrest of one of the traffickers. They are the women who have enjoyed freedom since then and are struggling to recover and take back the reins of their lives. The three arrived at the spa with two common problems: deceit and despair.

Ritu, 26, lived with her parents, without her husband, and with her seven-year-old son. They lived in the utmost precariousness, and she has no education. But she got a job at the spa.

The story of Nazia, 31, is very similar. she also lived alone, with her 10-year-old son and without any relatives in the city.

The only difference in the story of Kavita, 36, is that she lived with her husband who lost his job during the pandemic. Finally, exhausted from so much misery, she saw a ray of hope with this job offer at the beauty center.

When they realized what the real job was and wanted to quit, the owner’s promised them a large amount of money. The three prisoners of the most absolute necessity agreed to the terms. And then the truth came out, out of the 3,000 rupees (almost €34) that they earned with each client, only 1,000 rupees (€11) were for them. They were trapped for five months in these conditions.

After the operation, the three women spent 15 days in a government center to evaluate their condition and see what their needs are. They are currently with their families and from Mumbai Smiles we want to accompany them so that they can have options for the future.

The trafficker is in police custody waiting for the necessary steps of the judicial process.

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