Pyramid Racket Busted After Girls Allege ‘Trafficking & Confinement’ In Indore

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Four from Ratlam, including a minor, escape and approach police; raid leads to rescue of more women; suspects detained.

Four young girls from Ratlam, including a minor, allegedly escaped a suspected human trafficking and illegal confinement racket in the Rajendra Nagar area, prompting immediate police raids and the rescue of more victims.

On Thursday, the victims approached Commissioner of police (CP) Santosh Kumar Singh, alleging that they, along with 20 to 25 other young women from Ratlam and nearby areas, were being held hostage under the guise of job offers and were about to be trafficked to Ahmedabad.

Lured with false job promises

The victims said they were lured to Indore from their village in Ratlam on July 5 under the pretext of jobs at an Ayurvedic medicine company. However, upon arrival, they were allegedly isolated and locked in separate rooms. Kept under strict surveillance at a hostel, they were marched 1.2 km on foot daily to a workplace under the Reti Mandi Bridge.

After overhearing the operators whispering about a plan to transfer them to Gujarat, the girls decided to flee. Three of them escaped on July 14, with the minor following on July 15. They walked 2.5 km to the Rajendra Nagar railway station, took a train to Ratlam and contacted a brother for help. Accompanied by social activists, they later returned to Indore to file a formal complaint.

Extortion and pyramid scheme exposed

Police revealed the racket operated under the names 'Dream Life Wellness' and 'Mahadev Enterprises', managed by Kamlesh Rana and Urmila.

The network functioned as an alleged pyramid scheme. Victims initially paid Rs 7,000 for food and lodging but received no salary. Instead, they were allegedly coerced into sharing contact details of other women and forcing them to invest Rs 16,000 each to earn pyramid points. Police officials said the suspects were about to send the girls to Gujarat for the pyramid scheme.

Police action and rescues

Following the CP's orders, the Rajendra Nagar police raided the hostel, rescuing two to three more girls. Another girl was rescued from the Reti Mandi Bridge workplace. Two managers, a female supervisor and a male accomplice, were detained at the scene.

ACP Nidhi Saxena said, "A thorough investigation is underway regarding the allegations of illegal confinement and suspected trafficking. Strict legal action will be taken under the relevant sections based on the final investigation report."