Four Victims Treated as Accused?!

The four victims (left) and the brothel keeper after the rescue

On March 3, our team received a lead for a minor being sexually exploited at a

private brothel in an apartment in Naini, an industrial town in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The police were occupied due to a recent religious pilgrimage in UP, so we were unable to schedule a rescue together. When we tried again after a few weeks, the police were unavailable due to another major religious festival in the town.

Finally, on March 17, the police and our team raided the brothel, which was located on the sixth floor of an apartment. We rescued four victims: 17-year-old Ananiya, 17-year-old Kiran, 27-year-old Rasoli, and 24-year-old Abhina. The police arrested a female brothel keeper. 

After the police completed collecting incriminating evidence from the brothel, we proceeded to the police station with Ananiya, Kiran, Rasoli, Abhina, and the accused. At the police station, unexpectedly named all four victims as accused and booked them along with the brothel keeper. Rasoli and Abhina, the two majors who were recorded as accused, were sent to jail along with the brothel keeper. 

Ananiya and Kiran appeared before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB). After our legal team and advocate shared our arguments before the JJB, the JJB transferred the two girls to the Child Welfare Committee, who ordered for them to be placed in a One Stop Centre.

Our legal team is making every effort towards the police releasing the two forced major victims who are still in jail. 17-year-old Kiran was released back to her parents. Our team is still trying to obtain information about Ananiya. Our legal team is working towards all four victims being recorded as victims and not accused.

Update: June 30, 2025

Kiran's parents bailed her out one week after she was rescued, but Ananiya's parents were too poor to bail her out. For the last 2.5 months, Abhina, Rasoli, and Ananiya have been sitting in jail. Last week, Abhina and Rasoli were released on bail. Our team filed a writ petition in the High Court because all victims were recorded as accused. 17-year-old Ananiya is still in jail, and we are fighting for her freedom. We hope that all four victims will be re-recorded as victims and not as accused, that each of them will receive justice, and that the police will handle future cases sensitively and appropriately.