Freedom Firm staff were informed by a friend last week that there were minor girls in prostitution in Koregaon. They received this information when they investigated the red-light area in Karad, Maharashtra. Koregaon is located 120 kilometers from Pune and is a central town in Satara District. In its first raid in the town, the team rescued two minor girls and three major girls with assistance from local police. Two brothel keepers were also arrested.
People began to run as they saw the police and the team getting down from the vehicle. The police were quick on their feet. The Sub-Police Inspector ran behind a girl who we recognized as one of our targets. Since it was raining heavily she slipped and fell down, fracturing her hand. She was also three months pregnant but tests later showed that her baby and she were fine.
It is encouraging to see that places where Freedom Firm has consistently conducted raids is slowly seeing a reduction in minors in prostitution, giving us the opportunity to focus on new areas.