Three young women from Mizoram, aided by a local auto-rickshaw driver, managed to escape an alleged prostitution racket in Rudrapur town of Udham Singh Nagar district. After reaching Aizawl, one of them approached the police, leading to a joint operation by Mizoram and Uttarakhand police teams that rescued five more girls and arrested six accused.
How the Racket Operated
The victims were promised a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 on Facebook by a woman from Mizoram for a “lucrative job” in Rudrapur. They began leaving their native state a few months ago, only to find themselves trapped, threatened, and tortured. According to police, three of them could no longer bear the situation and secretly contacted the auto-rickshaw driver who used to ferry them to clients. He was probably the only stranger they could trust.
The auto-rickshaw driver did not let them down. He went to the spa “den” and broke into one of the rooms where the three women—aged 20 to 22—were confined. He drove them directly to the town’s railway station. Seeing their traumatic state and the language and cultural difficulties they faced, he guided them with train details and gave them money for their journey home.
Police Investigation and Rescue
“It all happened in April-end,” said Aizawl ASP (crime) Zoramthara, adding that “one of the escapees filed a complaint at All Women Police Station in Aizawl on May 1.” After registering an FIR, Mizoram police set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and sent a team led by a female inspector to Rudrapur to rescue the remaining women. The spa was raided on Tuesday.
Zoramthara said the victims belong to impoverished families and were desperately seeking work back home. “The one who posted the job offer with a contact number was a Mizoram woman, who was running the spa with her live-in partner from Uttar Pradesh. Believing her, the victims took the risk,” the ASP added.
“She made travel arrangements from Aizawl to Guwahati by road and onward journey to Delhi by train. They reached Rudrapur by taxi and after meeting the accused were told of the ‘extra work’. The victims were threatened, force-fed drugs, and locked up in a room. Instead of the promised Rs 20,000 salary, they were paid Rs 500,” he said.
Joint Operation Leads to Arrests
Confirming the incident, US Nagar SSP Ajay Ganapati said the district police’s anti-human trafficking unit planned the joint action with Mizoram police. “Of the six arrested, one was running the spa with her partner, and the remaining four were managing the operations. The accused woman’s sister was also linked to the spa,” said the SSP.
In Rudrapur on Friday, inspector Maria, who led the Mizoram team, added: “We’re probing this case thoroughly and will be in Uttarakhand for the next few days.”
