The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Wednesday claimed to have busted a prostitution racket being run from a hotel in Paharganj and rescued four girls, a claim denied by police.
The women's panel claimed that the agent of the four girls was arrested, even as police said no case was registered in the matter and no arrests were made.
In a late evening operation Tuesday, the DCW, on inputs from NGO Mission Rescue Operation, busted the prostitution racket being run from the hotel in Paharganj and rescued the four girls, the women's panel claimed.
The commission's chairperson, Swati Maliwal, and member Kiran Negi received a tip-off from the NGO that an agent in Central Delhi is supplying minor girls for prostitution, they said.
A team of DCW counsellors, together with the Delhi Police, reached the said hotel in Paharganj and forced their way into the rooms.
"Four minors were rescued from the rooms while they were being engaged by customers. The rescued girls were sent to a shelter home. The agent of the girls, Sahil, was arrested by police as the decoy customers from NGO Mission Rescue Operation used in the raid had paid him in marked currency notes," the women's panel alleged.
While two of the rescued girls are from Nepal, one is from Assam and one from Bihar.
On being counselled by the DCW, they revealed that they came from poverty-stricken families and there was no other earning member in their families.
The girls said they use the money they earned in Delhi for the welfare of their families back in their villages and wished to lead a respectable life.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Mandeep Singh Randhawa said at about 8.30 PM Tuesday, a team of the DCW accompanied by the staff of NGOs, Shakti Samuha, Catalyst and Mission Rescue Operation came at the Paharganj police station and informed that some minor girls are being allegedly trafficked in the hotel situated in the Paharganj area.
On the instance of members of the DCW and the NGOs, the hotel was checked where the girls were found.
The counselling of the four girls was done by members of the DCW and the NGOs and their statements were recorded which was also counter signed by these members, wherein the girls stated that they do work in clubs, beauty and massage parlours, the DCP said.
They specifically mentioned that they did not do any illegal work.
Age proof documents of the girls have been collected and as per that, three of them were major.
However, no document of age proof of one girl was found. Since, DCW and NGO members have raised suspicion over the age of one girl, who has been produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and as per the directions, her real or actual age is being ascertained, the DCP said.
"None of them made any complaint against anyone. Medical examination of all of them has been conducted at the LHMC Hospital and after medical examination, they were shifted to a shelter home. None of them have levelled any allegations, neither any case was registered nor any person was arrested in this matter," the officer said.
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