Alert neighbour busts sex racket, saves teen girl in Sangli

Hubli: A neighbour's presence of mind saved a minor girl from being forced into prostitution, at Sheshagiri village of Haveri district.
Sources said 14-year-old Sujata (name changed) was married off to a man from Nandre village of Sangli of Maharashtra. The mediator allegedly pressured the parents for the marriage, and also lured them with Rs 50,000.
Initially, the mediator had brought an alliance of a Dharwad man. But later, he succeeded in coercing Sujata and her parents into selecting another man from Sangli.
Sujata's family and relatives returned to Sheshagiri after the wedding in Sangli last week, while she remained there with her grandmother. However, she returned to her village. Suspecting that she may not return to Sangli, Anilkumar Kotekal, 28, claiming to be her husband, escorted her to the village.
Smelling a rat, an alert neighbour tipped off the child development office about Sujata's wedding on Tuesday, after which a team rushed to Sujata's house and took her parents, and 'husband' Anilkumar into their custody. The team also stumbled on the fact that it was a plan hatched by the mediator to sell Sujata on the pretext of marriage.
B R Shettar, child development programme officer (Hanagal), told TOI Sujata was forced into marriage.
The mediator had allegedly planned to sell her to someone in Maharashtra. The incident has shed light on the rampant child and women trafficking racket operating in Haveri.
On questioning Sujata's parents, the team found that the mediator had promised them Rs 50,000, but paid only Rs 3,000. "Her parents were unaware of the fact that their daughter was married off with the intention to be sold for prostitution. We have also handed Anilkumar over to police, while the mediator is still at large," he said, adding that they have also filed a complaint at Adur police station.