Cafe jobs used to lure girls into flesh trade, 2 held

Kolkata: Two persons were arrested from a cafe located in Kalyani on Tuesday, after allegations arose about trafficking and sexual exploitation of multiple minors and adults in a brothel operation in Burtolla. A 27-year-old woman was among the two arrested, police said. Raids are on to nab others."The accused were involved in trafficking, and the girls were offered fake jobs in cafes in Kolkata and Nadia. However, they were pushed into the flesh trade on reaching Kolkata," an officer said.The initial probe began last Sept after a case was recorded at Burtolla Police Station under sections 61(2), 98, 99, 143 and 144 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, read with sections 4 and 17 of the Pocso Act, along with provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, police documents show. The detective department took over the investigation at a later stage. The complaint was lodged suo motu by inspector Sonali Dey of the IT section of DD.Cops alleged that on and before Sept 10, several of the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to traffic girls and engage them in sexual exploitation for monetary gain. Investigators identified Saraswati Banerjee as the alleged brothel owner and Amit Banerjee as an alleged assistant in running the brothel. Puja Mistry and Sujata Halder were named among those accused of trafficking four minor girls, while Dip Chatterjee and Akash Chowdhury were accused of trafficking other minor girls and at least two women, and of assisting in the trafficking operation.The arrested woman was identified as Sathi Biswas, also known as Tina, police said. Her address was listed as Onkarnath Lane in Kalyani, Nadia. Police allegation states that the girls were exploited on the premises to generate money, and that the accused and their associates committed offences related to trafficking and sexual exploitation.