A 37-year-old woman and six others have been arrested for their alleged involvement in sex trafficking in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai. Two girl children aged 17 and 18 years were rescued and have been taken into a government shelter home. The children study in government schools and hail from middle and lower income families. An investigation is underway to find out whether more girls were trafficked by the accused.

The anti-human trafficking wing in Chintadripet received a tip-off on May 18, following which a child rescue team headed by Chennai police inspector Selvamani raided a building in Valasaravakkam and rescued the two children. One of the accused has absconded.

Speaking to TNM, a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) member said one of the arrested is the mother of the rescued children’s friend. He said that the children had allegedly been trafficked for five to six months and were given an amount of around Rs 1,000. “Each child has been given a support person. The parents of the children were not informed as police suspected their involvement,” he said. 

A child rights activist TNM spoke to said the police are bound to inform the parents of minors even if they suspect their collusion in the crime. A district child protection officer said that the main accused, the 37-year-old woman, became friendly with the girls on the pretext of training them in dance and beautician courses. 

The accused have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including section 342 (wrongful confinement), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 370A (exploitation), 372 (selling minors), and 373 (buying minors). They have been also booked under the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act for inducing a person to illicit intercourse and taking a person to another place for trafficking, among others. Relevant sections of the POCSO Act have also been invoked.