Mumbai, Dec 26: A sessions court in Dindoshi has sentenced a woman to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for pushing her minor daughter into prostitution, calling the crime a grave betrayal of a mother’s duty and trust.
Trap Laid After Tip-Off to NGO
The woman was caught in a trap laid in August 2021 after she offered her daughter for prostitution. Sessions Judge Neeta S Anekar refused to show leniency, observing that the accused had “broken the sacred bond of love and faith” by trafficking her own child and was therefore “not entitled to any mercy.”
Court Acquits Two Co-Accused
The court, however, acquitted two other women who were allegedly part of the prostitution racket, citing lack of evidence. It noted that the prosecution failed to examine the second woman who was offered for prostitution, making it impossible to establish the involvement of the two accused.
According to the prosecution, a complaint was lodged at the Malad police station by the manager of a non-governmental organisation after receiving information about the racket. As part of the NGO’s Project Kalki, one of its members posed as a customer and contacted the accused seeking women for prostitution.
Project Kalki Operation Exposes Racket
The mother allegedly offered two girls for a consideration of Rs 65,000, shared their photographs and fixed a meeting at a restaurant on August 18, 2021, at around 7.40pm.
Minor Identified as Accused’s Biological Daughter
When the women arrived, they were apprehended after verification. One of the girls was found to be a minor and the biological daughter of the accused, while the other was 24 years old.
Minor Turns Hostile During Trial
In her statement to police, the minor said she had studied up to Class 12 and was brought to the restaurant by her mother and her mother’s friend. She later turned hostile during the trial and denied that her mother had forced her into prostitution, claiming she worked at a call centre and took tuition classes due to the family’s poor financial condition.
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Medical and Digital Evidence Proves Case
Despite this, the court relied on medical evidence indicating that the girl was sexually active and on proof that the accused had shared the minor’s photograph with the dummy customer as part of the deal. Based on the recorded conversations and other evidence, the court held the mother guilty of trafficking her minor daughter.
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