Mysuru: Police rescue minor, arrest two in underage prostitution case
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Mysuru (PTI): Police, in coordination with NGO Odanadi Seva Samsthe, on Monday said they rescued a minor girl and arrested two accused here, who are allegedly involved in exploiting underage girls for prostitution.
Shobha, a Bengaluru resident, and her accomplice Tulsi Kumar were arrested on Saturday following a decoy operation in Mysuru organised with the NGO, police added.
The duo is accused of demanding Rs 20 lakh to arrange the sexual exploitation of a girl who had just reached puberty.
Police said preliminary investigations revealed the racket operated on a superstition that "intercourse with minor girls could cure sexual illnesses and impotence", generating demand for such exploitation.
Investigators said the network targeted men with such beliefs and supplied them with menstruating minor girls.
Police said the NGO had received information that Shobha was approaching such men and showing a 12-13-year-old girl to potential clients over WhatsApp video, demanding payment in return.
Acting on the tip-off, the NGO alerted senior police officers, who, in coordination with the Child Welfare Committee and the Child Protection Unit, laid a trap.
On Sunday afternoon, at around 2 pm, Shobha arrived near the Government Girls’ Children’s Home in Vijayanagar 4th Phase with the girl, a class 6 student.
Police said Shobha demanded Rs 20 lakh for the girl’s "first sexual intercourse".
Officers moved in and arrested her.
Shobha initially claimed the girl was her daughter, then her brother’s daughter, and later her adopted child, before eventually admitting her role in prostitution. Kumar, who accompanied her, claimed to be her husband, police said.
The rescued girl has been placed under the care of the children’s home. The accused remain in police custody, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the alleged trafficking network.
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At UN, India flags concerns over targeting of vessels in Strait of Hormuz
United Nations (PTI): Targeting commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is "unacceptable", India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish has said.
Harish's remarks at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) on safeguarding energy and supply flows came days after an India-flagged commercial vessel came under attack off the coast of Oman.
Omani authorities rescued all 14 crew members of the vessel sailing from Somalia, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike.
In a post on X on Sunday, Harish said that at the UNECOSOC meeting, he shared India's approach to the recent energy and fertiliser crisis caused by the West Asia conflict.
"A combination of short-term and structural measures alongside international cooperation are essential to respond to the crisis," he said.
"Reiterated that targeting of commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, are unacceptable. International law in this regard must be fully respected," he added.
The attack on the India-flagged vessel on May 13 took place amid the fragile situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass.
It has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes.
Earlier, India had described the attack as "unacceptable".
At least two other Indian-flagged ships have been attacked since the conflict broke out.
According to the UNECOSOC website, the meeting, which took place on Friday, focused on “Safeguarding energy and supply flows: Supporting global development through international cooperation”.
