Bangladeshi victim rescued from hiding place in a tiny loft

Jasmine being comforted by our staff.

At 8 pm on the 10th of July 2025 we got intel that 17-year-old Jasmine from Bangladesh was being sexually exploited in a red light area Budhwar Peth, Pune. 

Jasmine was trafficked from Bangladesh to India by Tara, a female relative. She was first sent  to Guwahati, then Bangalore and finally Pune. We got intel that she was going to be moved out of the state once again.

We knew any delay would result in losing Jasmine and in her continuing to be sexually exploited.  We met the local police later that night and started searching for Jasmine in her last known location.  We were not able to cover much ground due to a lack of sufficient manpower and had to end the search unsuccessfully that night. 

The next morning at 7:30 am we received a rough location of where Jasmine was being held.  Our team continued scoping out the area and the police conducted an extensive search. We asked the residents if they had seen or heard anything about a young Bangladeshi girl in their neighborhood.  

We had a big breakthrough when one person shared some vital information on Jasmine’s location. When we went to the apartment the door was locked.  The police and our team could hear a faint noise on the inside but whoever was inside was not responding to our calls.  The police finally broke the lock and entered the apartment. There were three women and two girls sitting in the living room. When we asked them about Jasmine, no one responded. We continued the search however Jasmine wasn’t in any of the rooms. When the police went to the bathroom, they found Jasmine stuffed in a loft space on top of the bathroom. 

On 11th of July at 9:05 am, Jasmine was rescued. Tara, who trafficked Jasmine, was one of the women sitting in the living room. She was also the one who had stuffed Jasmine in the loft.  When the police asked who locked them inside the apartment they said a man named Abhay. After 15 minutes Abhay returned to the apartment and the police arrested him.  The police collected evidence from the apartment and completed their report after which Jasmine, Abhay, Tara and our team went to the police station.

At the police station Jasmine shared her statement with the police.  The police registered a First Information Report (FIR). We ensured relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (2023),  Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, and the Passport Act were added to the FIR.

Jasmine was sent for a medical examination after which she was placed in a shelter home. The two accused remained in police custody.