Teenage Victim Leads Police to Uncover Major Sex Trafficking Network in Bhubaneswar

CCTV surveillance captured footage of the minor being abandoned at the hospital before the perpetrator escaped from the scene.

Bhubaneswar:

An investigation into the sexual assault case of a 16-year-old girl in Odisha's Bhubaneswar has revealed a major sex trafficking network operating in the state capital. The significant discovery occurred during a police raid in the Laxmisagar area, resulting in multiple arrests and the rescue of several women trapped in the illegal operation.

The investigation was initiated after Capital Hospital staff notified police late Friday evening when they received a severely injured and semi-conscious teenage girl who had been brought in without any accompanying person. Medical examination confirmed sexual assault indicators, which prompted police to file a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh stated that officers received a medico-legal case (MLC) from Capital Hospital around 8 pm Friday, which initially referenced "psychic disorder" but also documented evidence of sexual assault on the victim.

"After examining CCTV footage, we determined that the girl was dropped at the hospital by an individual who immediately fled the scene. Further investigation revealed a sex trafficking operation functioning within the Laxmisagar Police Station jurisdiction, where the minor was being coerced into sexual exploitation," Commissioner Singh explained.

During their investigation, authorities traced the network of individuals connected to the minor's case, which led them to a property in Laxmisagar suspected to be the central hub of the trafficking operation.

A coordinated team from Capital and Laxmisagar police stations executed a raid on the property. Three women were rescued from the location, and four individuals were detained for their alleged involvement in human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

The arrested suspects have been identified as: Manju Sethi (47), wife of Kasinath Sethi, originally from Balanga in Puri district, now residing in Mancheswar area of Bhubaneswar; Mamata Sahu (42), wife of late Ramesh Chandra Sahu from Cuttack district, currently living in Baramunda; Sanjib Kumar Das (54), the property owner; and Abinash Muduli (28), from Nayagarh district, accused of sexually assaulting the minor victim.

According to police reports, the three adults—Sethi, Sahu, and Das—were "profiting from prostitution earnings" and had been operating from the property. Muduli, the alleged perpetrator of the assault on the minor, has also been taken into custody. Two separate cases have been registered in connection with this investigation.

Police have confirmed that three additional women rescued from the premises will be reunited with their families following appropriate counseling and rehabilitation procedures.

Investigators believe the property functioned as a center for recruiting, housing, and exploiting young women who had been trafficked from outside the state.

(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)