15-year-old Shami and 13 Women Rescued from a Brothel in Mumbai

On November 12, 2025, Freedom Firm received information from a partner NGO (non-government organization) in Bangladesh about a 15-year-old Bangladeshi child who went missing in Bangladesh in March 2025. She had been trafficked to Chennai and moved to Mumbai in August.

After gathering sufficient information about the victim, we left for Mumbai on November 14, where we met a senior officer from the Mumbai Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU).  Due to a shortage of police personnel and the Deputy Commissioner of Police’s (DCP) arrival in a few days, no immediate rescue operation was possible. 

On November 15, we conducted our own investigation on Grant Road, Mumbai—the victim’s last known location. While searching for the victim, we received an update from our partner NGO that the victim had been moved to Kolkata.

Our Kolkata team took immediate action and began tracing the victim based on the available leads. We received some crucial information from our partner NGO about the victim’s whereabouts. While verifying the information, we received yet another lead; the victim was not in Kolkata but still in Mumbai. So our team worked to narrow down her location. 

On November 25, we visited the D.B. Marg Police Station in Mumbai and shared all the details we had gathered during our investigation. We had tracked the victim to an estimated location on Grant Road, Mumbai. The police assured us of their support. 

At 11:30 a.m. on November 26, the police started to pursue their own leads to trace the victim. At 4:30 p.m. the police received additional information about the victim’s location. Shortly afterwards, our partner NGO also shared information that helped us narrow down our search to two locations. Finally, we zeroed in on one location—a hotel.

At 7:30 pm, the police and our team raided the hotel. We secured all exit routes and searched for the victim, floor by floor. 

Panic broke out among occupants, and several individuals attempted to flee. After 40–50 minutes of intensive searching, we finally found the victim, 15-year-old Shami, in a room on the third floor. The hotel owner had converted two rooms on the third floor of the hotel into a brothel. The rooms consisted of a living room, a kitchen, five bathrooms, and 10 smaller partition units for the women. The women’s room included ceiling fans, flashy lights, an AC, and a gas stove.

The police asked Shami some basic questions. She seemed frightened, disoriented, and overwhelmed. Our volunteer, Zeenat, was able to speak to Shami and calm her down. Shami shared her story with Zeenat. The police arrested the brothel manager (a 44-year-old male) and the pimp (a 30-year-old male). The trafficker who was responsible for trafficking Shami to India was absconding. The police also found and rescued 13 women in the brothel. The police continued to collect incriminating evidence from the brothel.

At 3:30 a.m. on November 27, the police completed writing their initial reports at the brothel. We then proceeded to the police station with Shami, the 13 women, the two accused, and the police.  

At the police station, the police arranged for dinner for the victims, then collected the victims’ information. 

At 10 a.m. the police completed filing the First Information Report.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police acknowledged our part in Shami’s rescue, then transferred Shami’s case to the Assistant Commissioner of Police.

At 4:00 p.m., Shami and the other women were produced at the Sessions Court. After they recorded their statements before a magistrate, we accompanied the victims to their mandatory medical tests. Shami was then placed in a shelter home for minors, and the other women were placed in a shelter home for adults.