Last year, The Exodus Road’s India team worked with local police to investigate a number of related brothels that were trafficking women from Bangladesh and Nepal for sex. Some of the traffickers who were arrested during that case got out on bail. Police quickly became suspicious of one of them.
The trafficker was working with accomplices to traffick women at one of the same hotel-based brothels that police had raided before. Law enforcement asked The Exodus Road to verify details of the man’s activities.
We found that women were being tricked into working at the brothel through false job promises. Once they were at the brothel, their exploiters claimed that they had a debt they had to work to repay. That financial burden kept the women trapped. They were only allowed to leave the building if they were supervised by the traffickers, in a car owned by the head of the illegal operation.
Once our team delivered this information to law enforcement, they were able to act. Police moved on the brothel, finding and freeing four women, two of whom were from Bangladesh. They also arrested three traffickers, including the repeat offender who had been out on bail. He is unlikely to get out on bail again after his violations.
The hotel-based brothel where the women were exploited has been shut down for good. The Exodus Road’s India team is grateful for persistent police partners who make victories like this possible — and grateful for your essential support. Thank you!
