3 Bangladeshi Survivors Mistreated then Deported after 2 years in Seclusion

On August 4, 2023, three Bangladeshi victims, one child and two women, were rescued from different brothels in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (read more about the rescue here.) According to the specifications in the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, all three victims should have been produced before the magistrate, placed in a protective home for their care and protection, and repatriated to Bangladesh within a few months; however, this did not happen. 

15-year-old Manila and Mora and Prachi, who were in their 30s, were ordered to be placed in the custody of the Special Operations Group. (A specialized unit within law enforcement that handles high-risk operations such as counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and responding to complex criminal or insurgent activity.)

For 24+ months, the victims were confined to a small and dark room with little access to essentials and hygiene supplies such as period pads, toothpaste, and a hair comb, and they struggled to get water. Our interaction with the victims was limited, and when they were transferred to an interrogation center, our communication with them was completely cut off. Our social workers were only able to meet the victims when they were on their way to court for their court hearings, after which they were transferred back to the interrogation center without any access to the outside world. Our legal team presented applications before the Court to pass an order for their repatriation; however, the Court was not pleased to pass an order without recording their evidence in a trial case. This trial was pending for over 18 months. Finally, the victims finished testifying and this time moved an application through the public prosecutor, who, with the Court’s permission, allowed the officer from the Special Operations Group (SOG) to initiate the formal process to send them back. 

On September 20, 2025, we learned that all three survivors were deported back to Bangladesh instead of being repatriated home. 

Manila’s mother had filed a trafficking case in Bangladesh. After Manila returned home, she gave a strong statement before the magistrate. 

We were able to talk to Prachi over a video call a few days ago; she was delighted to be back home and reunited with her family. Although we have not spoken with Mora, Prachi shared that she is also back home and safe.

We cannot begin to imagine what these three survivors have endured. First, they were trafficked to India, then sold into prostitution and sexually exploited by innumerable men. After they were rescued, they were treated like criminals and thrown into a dark cell for 2 years, denied any form of interaction with their families, forced into seclusion, and then deported back to their country.

While there is relief at them being reunited with their families, there is a fierce anger towards our justice system for treating these three human beings like criminals and denying them basic human rights during their confinement.