Hyderabad Police have busted an alleged immoral trafficking network and arrested three individuals accused of smuggling a young Bangladeshi woman into India and forcing her into prostitution. Two more suspects remain at large.
The case, registered at Bandlaguda Police Station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, came to light after the survivor approached the police on Friday.
The arrested suspects are identified as Hajera Begum, 41, a housewife from Ismail Nagar, Bandlaguda; Shahnaaz Fathima, 32, an orchestra dancer from Murad Nagar, Mehdipatnam; and Mohammed Sameer, 23, an auto driver from Hafez Baba Nagar, Kanchan Bagh. The absconding accused have been named as Rupa, a Bangladeshi national from Dhaka, and Sarwar, a Hyderabad resident.
According to investigators, in February 2025, the survivor was approached by her neighbour Rupa, who promised her a trip to India. Under the cover of night, she was smuggled into the country by boat, disguised as Rupa’s daughter. From Kolkata, West Bengal, she was transported by train to Hyderabad.
Once in Hyderabad, she was first handed over to Shahnaaz and later to Hajera. It was then revealed to her that she had been brought for prostitution. Threatened with arrest for illegal entry into India, she was coerced into sex work and moved between hotels and private residences over six months.
Roughly ten days ago, while being escorted to a hotel, the survivor noticed a police station signboard. On August 8, she seized an opportunity to escape when Sameer was parking his auto, running directly to Bandlaguda Police Station for help.
Police subsequently raided a rented room in Mehdipatnam, allegedly maintained by Shahnaaz, and rescued three additional women reportedly brought from West Bengal by Sarwar.
The three arrested suspects were caught while attempting to flee and have since been remanded to judicial custody. Authorities have moved the rescued women to a shelter home while continuing efforts to track down and apprehend Rupa and Sarwar.
